Cold Environment Case Study –Svalbard

Where / In northernEurope,in the Arctic.
What / It is a large island and is part of Norway.
It is north of Norway on the edge of the Arctic Oceanand the Barents Sea.
It is around 78⁰N.
2700 people live on Svalbard permanently.
Longyearbyen is the main town – it is the most northerly town on Earth.
Opportunities for development.
(WAYS TO MAKE MONEY HERE) / COAL MINING
(mineral extraction) / Svalbard has large amounts of coal and coal mining is the main economic activity (the main way to make money).
Over 300 people work in the coal industry.
Some people are against coal because of air pollution and climate change.
ENERGY
COAL and
GEOTHERMAL
ENERGY / Acoal-fired power station in Svalbardcreates all the electricity for the island.
Many would like to use geothermal energy instead. This is when you use the hot rocks below the surface to heat water and create electricity (like Iceland does).
FISHING / The Barents Sea has some of the best fishing grounds in the world!
There are over 150 species of fish including herring and haddock.
Fishing is controlled so that it is sustainable (so that the number of fish does not go down).
TOURISM / In 2011 70,000 tourists visited (30,000 came on cruise ships).
The harbour has been made bigger so that cruise ships can dock there. 300 people work in the tourism industry.
People come to see the beauty and the wildlife (polar bearsetc) They like to hike, kayak and ride snow mobiles.
Challenges of development in this environment.
(DIFFICULT THINGS ABOUT TRYING TO WORK HERE) / VERY COLD!
Extreme temperatures / Winter temperatures in Svalbardcan fall below 30⁰C which is very dangerous for people.
You have to wear special clothes to stay alive. (Gloves, thermal layersetc).
SPECIAL BUILDINGS
Buildings and infrastructure / Buildings are constructed with lots of insulation so they stay warm.
Pipes and cables are kept above ground so that the permafrost is not melted by the heat).
DIFFICULT TO GET AROUND
Inaccessibility / It can be difficult to get there and difficult to get around!
In Longyearbyen there are only 50km of roads. Some communities do not have roads but rely on snowmobiles.
Roads can be buried beneath snow.
Managing Cold Environments
Strategies (ways) to protect cold environments
– making development sustainable
Strategy / Example
TECHNOLOGY / The trans-Alaskan pipeline;
This pipeline carries oil 1300km from the north of Alaska to the south.
  • The pipeline is mostly above ground to stop the hot oil melting the permafrost (frozen ground).
  • If there is a leak, the flow of oil is automatically shut off until the leak has been fixed to reduce damage from spills.
  • The pipeline is raised up so that Caribou (a kind of deer) can migrate (travel) underneath it.
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Action by Governments / The US government has made laws to protect the state of Alaska.
  • Oil companies must protect the environment and respect the native people (Inuit people etc).
  • The Western Arctic Reserve is a 9 million hectare nature reserve. Drilling for oil is not allowed in sensitive areas.
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International cooperation / The Antarctic Treaty
  • All economic development is banned – no drilling for oil, mining etc. is allowed.
  • Scientific researchis allowed, especially about climate change and all discoveries are shared.
  • Tourism is controlled strictlyto stop any damage.
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Conservation Groups / The WWF (World Wildlife Fund) is a conservation group who want to make sure that Arctic is protected.
They do this by;
  • Funding scientific research on polar bears etc check that they are being protected.
  • Working with oil companies to help them carry out their work in a sustainable way so that the wildlife is protected.
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