Plannng an expedition to an extreme environment

The gear up that our expedition is going to take is in the region of Norway called Svalbard. To gravel in that respect we bind to take a boat from Norway port and bring our equipments take a shit for the chilliness environment. The average temperature is around 5C and -12C in winter.Equipments I need to bring on the expedition beA parka is essential in frigidity weather. It insulates the ro apply regular(a) at a -47 degree Celsius. It is weewee certainty so the melted black eye couldnt fix in to your bole.Insulator tro physical exercisers ar utilize to incur about our legs warm. It is water proof with abstract lining to keep the heat in be receive the temperature is really offset thither.Fleece jumper is essential in this harsh weather condition. It keeps our body temperature in which is great.A woolly jumper is excessively unspoiled to keep heat in. I use this jumper as a s give the sackty in case the fleece gets dirty.A long sleeve tog is to be worn in adv ance the jumper to keep me extra warm.Tracksuit bottoms with fleece lining ar ideal to put on first send on the thermal trousers. It al base keep me extra warm.These are essential accessories for ply of our body want hands, neck and head.This faux fur hat keeps well-nigh of my body temperature in because the heat is loss through our head.Earmuffs are genuine to keep my ears warm scarf is great to retard coldness to premise my body. wetproof gloves are used to keep my hands warm and obstruct melted fruitcake to get through the checkmaterial.Thermal socks are there to keep my feet warm and these water proof boots are effective to bye through snow and uneven disembark. They commence thick rubber soles to prevent slipping and provide full friction.Map and compasses are the must have. They pull up stakes help me to induce my way back if I get lost.Water is good because it knap me from being dehydrated.Dry food is ideal in this weather as it is easy to cook and quic k.Swiss knives are useful because you never know when you need it. I will need it to control protrude a burn or defend myself when I get attacked by a confine.Task 2 Glacier retreat projectA aline maps and photographs of Glaciers on Spitsbergen1 Label the features you jakes see2 How did glacier air and move?1. Snow is collected everyplace millions of divisions. The snow flake matt and fused together, squeezing air and wetures out to create one hard glass block. With the pressure of to a greater extent(prenominal) snow the firn will eventually oer familys rick glacier icing the puck.2. Glacier is kindred a mighty river of ice. It is capable of doing what a river can do such as flow and change in flow rate. In ice, the flow rate is immobileer in the summation than at the edges and quicker on the surface than at the bottom because the solemnity pulls the weigh there great. That is why or so glacier surge forwards than the former(a).3. When ice moves it fragment izes up rocks on the way therefore the rock dumb implant good cutting tools such as erosion. Erosion by plucking and abrasion irritate the hollow deeper and bigger.* Plucking is when rocks and rock candys froze to the bottom of the glacier and being plucked up by the movements of the glacier.* detrition happens when the materials rubbed against the bedrock at the bottom and sides of the glacier. They were being pulled subject by gravity. This likewise causes wearing to the lendscape. Fine g precipitateed junk polishes the bedrock called glacial polish.4. Some of this debris is deposited at the edge of the corrie, as a moraine, building up the lip. This combine process creates a rounded hurl, with a steep back wall, and an armchair shape characteristic of a corrie.5. When the ice melts, a lake is left in the corrie. This is called a tarn.3 Why do you think that some people might find them both arouse and be intimateable to look at?I think people find it interesting to lo ok at the glacier because they can find answers to their wonders of how landscape form. It is amazing to see the nature is so strong which can move and change the land. They can also do some sporting activities such as camping and sledge riding. Furtherto a greater extent they can compare the difference between places which are affected by glacier move back and see how much ice have melted. They might find it interesting because they can see how the mood is changing and some responsibilities are down to man.B Look at the map on page 11 and other try that shows how glaciers have retreated on Spitsbergen1 utilize the picture above, the time scale that retreating of glacier has been measurable is 103 years. Since 1900 and up until 2003, the resources tell me that the glacier has move 3 miles from 1983 to 2003. I measure the scale and worked out that 3mile is equivalent to 1 cm. thitherfore I can say that from 1900 to 2003, the glacier has moved 16 miles and in the present time, there is a great possibility of it moving gain than 16 miles.2 The ice moves at the rate of 241 metres every year from 1983 to 2003. The map shows the glacier melted the most in 1983 to 2003, the gap between 1900 to 1916 is small therefore I can say that less ice receded then. The total of precipitation on this island is very little cause ice on Svalbard accumulates snow very slowly. This affects the way the ice movements.3 The establish of glacier retreating appears to ascertain with the theory of spheric warm up because the ice is melting very prompt as the year goes on. It is because the Earth is affecting by the green family unit effect. This means that heat and CO2 gas are being con all right in the atmosphere or else of leaving the Earth. They insulate the heat which ca using ice to melt. The pollution is increasing which makes the ice melt faster as well. The albedo effect has an distinguished role in humour change. It is used to describe what material can smoo th temperateness. The higher the albedo the greater it can reflects the sunlight. The higher the Earths albedo, the much solar radiation will reflect and the Earth will heat up less. White is a good annotate which doesnt absorb the heat. If the ice melts, there will be to a greater extent heat being trapped and will lead to more(prenominal) globular warming because dark colour material tends to absorb heat than the hoy colour.4 What the credibly effects on melting glaciers in the ocean around Svalbard Islands? Think about salinity, exposure to erosion and changes in the land/ ocean level.Salinity get along of salt dissolved in water. break up glaciers in the sea around Svalbard Islands effects on a locoweed of things such as the Thermohaline, living things like wintry bear and climate not entirely on the island just now also UK and other countries. naval water never rest which means it moves constantly. The complicated convenings are bring by wind, the waters salinit y and heat content, bottom of the oceans structure and the Earths rotation. One of the biggest oceans legitimate is the disconnect pelt. It transports 150 millions cubic metres per second of warm water from the Gulf of North Mexico across the Atlantic to Svalbard. On the way it mixes with water from other current, exchanging qualities of salinity, temperature, plants and animal. When warm Gulf Stream collides with the cold Atlantic current, it causes the seawater to become extremely dense. It is because warm water has higher mass receivable to the heat and salty water is heavier than fresh water.The warm water sinks and exporting towards southeasterly but some will continue towards Svalbard. When it reaches South Atlantic, it moves east to relate the current flows to Indian Ocean and the rest move to Pacific Ocean. There it will heat up and repeat the alike(p) cycle.If the ice in Svalbard melts even more, there will be an increase in sea level as well as more fresh water will be added in to the ocean. This fresh water will move down south and affect the Gulf Stream because it will get colder and less salty this also upset the process of Thermohaline. If the Gulf Stream slow down or shut down completely the climate in Britain would be colder. It would be like Moscow which is on the same latitude. This is called Rapid Climate Change. Britain is warmer than Moscow overdue to the warm current.If the ice in Svalbard melts even more polar bear will have no where to live and re introduce because these bears blaspheme on ice. They can not swim well equal to catch seals or fish. It will results in shortage of food and could lead to distinction.If the ice in Svalbard melts even more the land will expose more because the glacier would disappear. This will have an daze on people and tourism on this island. The unique site and land on this island will change dramatically.C. Read the Glacial meltdown data sheet.1 The problem in suggest the reason why the glacier melts because of worldwide warming is that it is not the only reason why. They blame it on human because we consume a lot of fossil fuel can produce toxic gas that harms the environment. Yes they are right lineamently, but even before we begin to us fossil foil, glacier already started to retreat. This is normal for them. They have assorted opinions and views but they need to know both side of the secernate. Furthermore, global warming doesnt occur in a short amount of time. It is measured over a long period and find out the changes in pattern of the temperature, ocean life, etc2 It is important to know who produce and interpret the evidence of global warming because they could be bias and have different views of the global warming. Some time they can exaggerate. It is good to know all the evidence that global warming caused by human and nature.This statement from Greenpeace is saying that the cause of global warming that makes ice melt is due to human exercise such as burning fossil fuels in cars, aeroplane, bus, etcThey exaggerated it even though dowerys of it is down to human activity. The climate change is measured over many years, decades even centuries. Climate change doesnt happen that quickly.This evidence suggests that one of the reasons why glacier retreated faster is because some ice surges forward than the other. This is normal and is due to nature and not human activities.Task 3 Climate change and effects on the food chainA Find out about phytoplankton that grows in galosh waters.Phytoplankton Microscopic plants and plant-like organisms implant in massive quantities in the sea. They are known as the oceans grass. algae bloom A plankton bloom also known as algal bloom, is simply an area where phytoplankton (algae) reproduce very fast that you may find many thousand plant cells per litre of water. The chlorophyll in these plants colour the water green.Zooplankton Microscopic animals and animal-like organisms found in the sea.1 Just like any normal plant, phytoplankton needs light, warmth, nutrients, carbon dioxide and water in couch to grow and reproduce. The condition and environment around it has to achieve some of the requirements for algae to grow.2 The Oceans bottom contains decaying plants and animals which carry nutrients they are being brought to the surface by currents. Algae bloom occurs when the Sun comes out like in rebound because plants need sunlight to develop healthily and gives it the colour green. The phytoplanktons also use the nutrients to produce this leads to algae bloom as well as the bloom of zooplankton because they have more food to eat. The light and warmth control the multiplication of algae. In winter it is harder for this specie to grow.3 The growth of phytoplankton is very important to the rubber eraser food chain because they are the producer. They are food to zooplanktons which they are eaten by fish. Small fishes like Arctic cod are eaten by other predators such as polar bear s, whales, seabirds and other fish. If there are less of them then the population of other consumers and predator can decreased.B Look at page 12 in the gamey Arctic book. Look at the maps and other information about the maturation conditions for plants on land in the Svalbard Islands and the Arctic in general.CAFF stands for The Conservation of Arctic flora and Fauna.1Land surface the Arctic tundra do of flat and low land surface. The further north you go the higher the land due to some lots. The further up north, the land is usually covers in snow and only a a couple of(prenominal) plants can survive, like in Spitsbergen. Plants on land only cover just over 5% of the surface and home to 165 species of plants on Svalbard.Low land and potentiometer tundras vegetation is composed of dwarf shrubs, sledges and grasses, mosses and lichens. Scattered guides grow in some tundra. The ecological boundary region between the tundra and the forest is known as the tree line. There are likely no trees and no bushes.Taiga is described to be home to many living organism. Boreal forest refers to the southern initiate of this biomass. Northern taiga has small- take into accounts trees like birch, alder, willow and aspen. Nearly all the trees in this resistant of forest are fir trees. They grow for just a few weeks and have tough leaves to survive frost, wind and snow. Whereas in southern also known as centre boreal. Trees grow bigger and home to many animals like red squirrel. The further south you go the more trees will grow and more living things are able to survive.Soil mountain tundra has permanent frozen daub. But judging in the pictures the soil is sooner fertile as there are living things growing on it. Snow butter transfuses, lichens etc are able to grow and reproduce on this soil. It is moist from the melted snow. Plants can not grow on the glacier because it is too cold to it to survive.Temperature plants on Spitsbergen can grow at temperature as low a s -5C. Plants like dwarf shrubs, sledges and grasses, mosses and lichens can survive at this temperature. The temperature increases as you go further south because it is nearer to the sun. the temperature raises after the snow melts so the plants can start growing.Precipitation the mountain tundra gets less rain than the other part of this Arctic because it is colder and dryer. Places like the taiga have more precipitation because the trees need rain in order to grow big. There are more wet in the air there than the area around glacier.Growing assuageThe map shows the length of time that plants need to grow. So in spring, the mountain tundra will have 80 days to grow. These plants are short whereas the middle boreal will have 160 days of growing appease because the plants are tall and have loads of leaves. The further south you go the longer the growing season. Colourful wildflowers bloom from the end of June to the end of July. They have to adapt to this every short season.2. Des cribe the main characteristics of plants that are found on the land.It is hard for plants to grow in the Arctic. Once the snow melts, the growing season is going to be short. Despite getting the most cheerfulness in summer, but the harsh weather condition have made the plants adapted to their environment such as Arctic tundra. They have distinctive characteristics such as being small, grow bordering together and close to the ground. This protects them from the cold temperatures and the strong winds. Some flowering plants covered in fine hair like the Arctic crocus to provide protection from the wind.Flowering plants use all the sunlight they can to produce flowers at very fast speed because they knew growing season is very short. Some plants have cup shaped flowers that face up to the sun, so they can get the sunlight shines directly at the centre of the flower thats why they are so bright. However, other plants have dark colour because they can absorb more heat. Some plants have small roots because only the top stratum of the soil thaw and they have small leaves to retain moisture. Because of the short growing season, most tundra plants are perennials and they do not die in the winter. another(prenominal) living organisms like lichens and mosses can survive on bare rock. They are very short.3 Plants can be said to be part of a fragile environment is because they can be easily damaged. For example, tracks from a passing vehicle will tear up the fragile insulating tundra, allowing the soil to thaw into scars that may remain for hundreds of years therefore the surface level is vulnerable to environmental damage. There are also other factors that could stop plants from growing such as colder temperature and shorter growing season. Plants there have already adapted to that low temperature, if it gets any lower there is a likely take on they will not survive. Furthermore, if the sun is not giving them enough sunlight, they wouldnt be able to grow healthily.C Look at the Arctic food chain on page 13 in the High Arctic book.1 The Arctic food chain consists of many animals, sea animals, land and sky. The most important producers start in the sea like the phytoplankton. They are food to the zooplankton and from that fishes consume them. Fishes are important because many animals rely and live on them such as seals, killer whales, birds, polar bear etc Birds like the kittiwake fed on fishes and they are food to Arctic foxes. If it wasnt for the sea animals, the land animals wouldnt be able to survive because they have nothing to eat.The sea environment keeps the food chain balance by providing the right amount food at the right time. Like when a female polar bear gave birth to her cub in December, the algae would bloom after December and make food for the polar bear. Numbers of birds are more than itemize of fishes. If the fishes do not multiply then it could cause a fall in number of animals. Numbers of whales are shortening due to whale h unting by human and animals. The food chain has link which means a specie consumes more than one type of food. This increases the chance of getting something to eat than some other living organisms.2 If the ice melts, the number of seals will decrease because they will have no where to mate and rest which will lead to the falling in polar bears population. However, the number of fishes will increase and population of birds and foxes. It is because they will have fewer predators and more food to eat. Killer whales will be relying on squids and other fishes instead having them as well as seals. Their population will decrease but not greatly. In the future, seals might be hunted for their skin or their fat or it could be the melting of ice which will leave them homeless.4 After the coal mining industry closed in the 1980s the future of Longyearbyen, a city in Svalbard seems to have no hope. The economy went down hill because there was not enough income and the population was decreasin g. The Norwegian organisation decided that it would create new business opportunities on Svalbard. One of the main activities to be developed was tourism.Svalbard is a very pretty-pretty wilderness, with many rare living organisms, and its also a part of the Arctic that is easily accessible by plane. Because of the Gulf Stream, the temperature is not as cold compared to other places on the same Northern latitude.Longyearbyen received 25,000 tourists every year and they arrive by plane and another 25,000 visit on a cruise ship. They bring a lot of income to the town by using the facilities such as hotels, going on excursions, buying souvenirs, etc. Its important that the government carefully manage the wilderness so that tourists can still enjoy coming here in the future because the view and places here are exclusive to Svalbard.It is advised not to use modern transport to go around on this island. Tourists can take the aeroplane or cruise ships but if they want to explore this la nd more it is best to only go with dogs, or on foot, or by skiing. One of the reasons they cogitate using those environmental friendly transport is because tourist come here from big city to find peace and quite. Silence is a invaluable commodity today. If they raced around on snowmobiles, then people wouldnt want to come as much. In addition, motorised vehicles cause damage to the environment.They produce more C02 and destroy landscape. The Government of Norway has set a goal of trying to make Svalbard one of the best managed wildernesses in the world. To achieve this they have put a lot of regulations into force, including the Svalbard Environmental Protection Act. The purpose of this Act is to preserve a virtually untouched environment in Svalbard. Littering is forbidden, you can not pick a flower or even move a stone on the beach.