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AQA gcse geography the living world: North Slope, Alaska opportunities & challenges

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Will Williams
Will Williams

The North Slope of Alaska presents both opportunities and challenges for development due to its extreme cold environment. Key opportunities include mineral and energy extraction such as the Prudhoe Bay Oilfield, commercial fishing industries, and tourism related to activities like the Northern Lights. However, the extreme cold with temperatures reaching -250C, permafrost that causes infrastructure to sink, and fragile ecosystem make development challenging. Adaptations are needed like building infrastructure on stilts and using triple glazing, but oil spills and disrupted transport pose ongoing risks. While development brings economic benefits, the remote environment is also difficult to access and slow to recover from disturbances.

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North Slope of Alaska - challenges & opportunities AQA spec: a cold environment to illustrate: development opportunities in cold environments: mineral extraction, energy, fishing and tourism challenges of developing cold environments: extreme temperature, inaccessibility, provision of buildings and infrastructure.
North Slope of Alaska - challenges & opportunities Location Cold environments Wilderness areas= extremely fragile [ small disturbances within the ecosystem = catastrophic effects.] Great potential economic opportunities - tourism, energy exploitation and fishing. Hence under threat from EXPLOITATION and DEVELOPMENT. Regional Multiplier effect = employment + local taxes local government spending = improvement of infrastructure and public services improving the socio economic conditions of the area and allowing for even more development. 1. Alaska = huge state (nearly 2 million km2) located to the very North West of the USA. 2. North = Arctic Ocean,West =Bering Strait and Russia, South = Pacific Ocean. 3. Isolated from mainland USA states by Canada, and the USA bought Alaska from Russia in 1867 for $7.2million 4. Alaska = industries and natural resources that can offer both opportunities and challenges.
North Slope of Alaska - challenges Extreme cold -250C, limited sunlight in winter - reduces the working day and increases hazards for people (think bears) Permafrost buildings, roads, pipelines etc can slump into the ground, disrupting road, rail and oil transport + potentially leading to oil spills or lost time for work Adaptations needed 1. Many houses are raised up above ground to prevent subsidence 2. Roads are built on gravel to prevent them cracking with frost heave. 3. Oil pipelines are raised on stilts to prevent melting of the permafrost as the oil has to be warmed to move in the pipeline To adapt to the extreme cold 1. Houses =Triple glazing + insulation 2. People wear multiple layers 3. Geothermal power = underground pumps pump water underground where it is warmer bring that warmed water back up to heat buildings. 4. Buildings have steep pitched roofs to get rid of the snow that falls. Inaccessibility - large areas that have limited population - difficult for industries to get raw materials and people to get to markets/place of work - winter creates ice roads which reduce this inaccessibility. Fragile ecosystem - low energy (think photosynthesis) = vulnerable to disturbance e.g. small oil spills will not be easily decomposed by bacterial action therefore can have a lasting effect KEY WORDS tundra - a vast, flat, treeless Arctic region of Europe, Asia, and North America in which the subsoil is permanently frozen [permafrost] but the top layer thaws seasonally - creating problems [active layer]
North Slope of Alaska - opportunities FISHING Alaska Natives = catch salmon and many other types of fish since the early 17th century. This type of fishing exists today as SUBSISTENCE fishing, and the fish provide food, oils and the bones are even used in tools and clothing. Commercial fishermen = Pollock fisheries in the Bering Sea, provide over 60,000 jobs $6 billion for the economy = $250million tax for Alaskan government ENERGY = renewable and nonrenewable. Geothermal is being used as it si on the Pacific Ring of Fire. e.g power plant at Chena Hot Springs near Fairbanks which produces power for local people [400 homes] Hydroelectric steep relief and plentiful rivers. Alaskas largest source of renewable energy, supplying about 21% of state electricity e.g. 120MW Bradley Lake near Homer [cost > $300million] TOURISM Northern lights, fishing, Yukon Quest dog sled race = $4 Billion a year. MINERAL EXTRACTION: Variety of businesses, trading, Prudhoe Bay Oilfield. Oil and Gas employment = jobs. Mines shut down = tourism Prudhoe Bay = biggest in NA. Petroleum contributes $14 billion to economy and jobs - regional & national Multiplier Effect KEY WORDS Infrastructure - The basic equipment and structures (such as roads, utilities, water supply and sewage) that are needed for a country or region to function properly. Mineral extraction - The removal of solid mineral resources from the earth. These resources include ores, which contain commercially valuable amounts of metals, such as iron and aluminium; precious stones, such as diamonds; building stones, such as granite; and solid fuels, such as coal and oil shale.
EXAM QUESTIONS For a hot desert environment or cold environment you have studied, to what extent does that environment provide both opportunities and challenges for development? [9 marks]
Where next? Search for this FCASE STUDY on

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AQA gcse geography the living world: North Slope, Alaska opportunities & challenges

  • 1. North Slope of Alaska - challenges & opportunities AQA spec: a cold environment to illustrate: development opportunities in cold environments: mineral extraction, energy, fishing and tourism challenges of developing cold environments: extreme temperature, inaccessibility, provision of buildings and infrastructure.
  • 2. North Slope of Alaska - challenges & opportunities Location Cold environments Wilderness areas= extremely fragile [ small disturbances within the ecosystem = catastrophic effects.] Great potential economic opportunities - tourism, energy exploitation and fishing. Hence under threat from EXPLOITATION and DEVELOPMENT. Regional Multiplier effect = employment + local taxes local government spending = improvement of infrastructure and public services improving the socio economic conditions of the area and allowing for even more development. 1. Alaska = huge state (nearly 2 million km2) located to the very North West of the USA. 2. North = Arctic Ocean,West =Bering Strait and Russia, South = Pacific Ocean. 3. Isolated from mainland USA states by Canada, and the USA bought Alaska from Russia in 1867 for $7.2million 4. Alaska = industries and natural resources that can offer both opportunities and challenges.
  • 3. North Slope of Alaska - challenges Extreme cold -250C, limited sunlight in winter - reduces the working day and increases hazards for people (think bears) Permafrost buildings, roads, pipelines etc can slump into the ground, disrupting road, rail and oil transport + potentially leading to oil spills or lost time for work Adaptations needed 1. Many houses are raised up above ground to prevent subsidence 2. Roads are built on gravel to prevent them cracking with frost heave. 3. Oil pipelines are raised on stilts to prevent melting of the permafrost as the oil has to be warmed to move in the pipeline To adapt to the extreme cold 1. Houses =Triple glazing + insulation 2. People wear multiple layers 3. Geothermal power = underground pumps pump water underground where it is warmer bring that warmed water back up to heat buildings. 4. Buildings have steep pitched roofs to get rid of the snow that falls. Inaccessibility - large areas that have limited population - difficult for industries to get raw materials and people to get to markets/place of work - winter creates ice roads which reduce this inaccessibility. Fragile ecosystem - low energy (think photosynthesis) = vulnerable to disturbance e.g. small oil spills will not be easily decomposed by bacterial action therefore can have a lasting effect KEY WORDS tundra - a vast, flat, treeless Arctic region of Europe, Asia, and North America in which the subsoil is permanently frozen [permafrost] but the top layer thaws seasonally - creating problems [active layer]
  • 4. North Slope of Alaska - opportunities FISHING Alaska Natives = catch salmon and many other types of fish since the early 17th century. This type of fishing exists today as SUBSISTENCE fishing, and the fish provide food, oils and the bones are even used in tools and clothing. Commercial fishermen = Pollock fisheries in the Bering Sea, provide over 60,000 jobs $6 billion for the economy = $250million tax for Alaskan government ENERGY = renewable and nonrenewable. Geothermal is being used as it si on the Pacific Ring of Fire. e.g power plant at Chena Hot Springs near Fairbanks which produces power for local people [400 homes] Hydroelectric steep relief and plentiful rivers. Alaskas largest source of renewable energy, supplying about 21% of state electricity e.g. 120MW Bradley Lake near Homer [cost > $300million] TOURISM Northern lights, fishing, Yukon Quest dog sled race = $4 Billion a year. MINERAL EXTRACTION: Variety of businesses, trading, Prudhoe Bay Oilfield. Oil and Gas employment = jobs. Mines shut down = tourism Prudhoe Bay = biggest in NA. Petroleum contributes $14 billion to economy and jobs - regional & national Multiplier Effect KEY WORDS Infrastructure - The basic equipment and structures (such as roads, utilities, water supply and sewage) that are needed for a country or region to function properly. Mineral extraction - The removal of solid mineral resources from the earth. These resources include ores, which contain commercially valuable amounts of metals, such as iron and aluminium; precious stones, such as diamonds; building stones, such as granite; and solid fuels, such as coal and oil shale.
  • 5. EXAM QUESTIONS For a hot desert environment or cold environment you have studied, to what extent does that environment provide both opportunities and challenges for development? [9 marks]
  • 6. Where next? Search for this FCASE STUDY on