AQA Geography - Alaska Case study

Case study- Alaskan tundra

·         Contains world’s 4^th largest glaciated area, 40% of USA’s surface water, largest fisheries, wilderness areas and land designated for parks, reserves and wildlife refuges.

·         Large oil/gas reserves

·         Significant indigenous population (Gwich’in and Impuit tribes) subsidence agriculture- depend on environment for food and supplies.

Resource exploitation

·         Oil/gas extraction- Prudhoe bay, Northern Alaska

·         Forestry and agriculture in the interior

·         Fishing in Bering sea

Key challenges

Physical

·         Below freezing temperatures

·         Extremes of climate- warmer near coast

·         Winds

·         Climate change- increase melt of permafrost making land difficult to build on and lead to subsidence problems.

·         Tectonic activity- high level of earthquakes

Human

·         Waste disposal- slow decomposition due to cold temperatures

·         Lack of daylight hours in winter

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