Extreme Cold Environments
Oymyakoncase study
challengesand Adaptations
abuildingon permafrost
challenge
heatedbuildings can thaw the permafrost
oncethepermafrostthaws it sinksdamagingthebuilding
adaptation
engineerssolvethis problem byraisingbuildingsabovethe ground on a steelframe coldair can flow under them
andstop the permafrost thawing
2 water supplies
challenge
in places with a continous stretchof permafrostfindingwater is a challenge especially duringwinter times
adaptation
waterpipesfrom the water supply to buildings
theyhave to be protected so that the water insidethe pipedoes not freeze and the groundaround the
pipe doesnot thaw
3 Transportinfrastructure
challenge
roadsandbridgesmay bedamaged by frostheave
insummer theroads melt and mustbe rebuiteach winter
adaptation
soilunder the roads can be replaced with gravel so that water drains better and there is lessfrosthea
roadsmay be painted white to reflectmore neat and keepthem cooler
GlobalDistribution of Extreme Environments
warmerenvironments by the equator
longerdistance less neat concentrationbecause the rays are broader
whenIndia andEurasia tectonicplates collidetheycanonlygo up
formedthe Himalayas
Heightsof the Himalayas willdecreasedue to erosion
the tectonicprocesses causemountainbuilding
Mountains are colderdue to the environmental lapserate
normalaveragerate of cooling with altitude cosocperroom
, Atmospheregets colder the higher it is fromthe sealevel
volumeof the atmosphere getsthicker the further youmoveaway
as theatmospheresinks it compresses the molecules which
requires lessenergy
Madrid widerange of temperatures
middleofSpain
coldwinters very warm summers
the coasthas a smaller range of temperatures
mildsummers coolwinters
Oymyakon example
oymyakon is in themiddleof Serbia
warm up relativelyquickly isac in summer
cooldownrelativelyquickly c ta c in winter
Mechanisms
a distancefromthe equator
2 environmentallapse rate 6 s c room
3 distancefromthe sea looserorfurtherawayfrom the coast
Climate Graph
É
É
months
windspeedincreases ax withevery nooo ft
Men of Rock
1840 scottishhighlands were investigated by LouisAgassiz and William Bucklands
crevasse splitbetweenthe ice
Agassiz predicts that scotlandwas oncecovered in icesheets as thick as Green lands are todaycover3km
Agassiz carried an investigation in which he trackedthe placement ofsticks throughout a periodof 5years to
test whetherglaciersmoved
Agassiz discovered that the entire glacierwas moving so com a year
the glacierstraveldown themountain
behaves like a liquid the glaciersslide andflow past eachother
the bottomof the ice melts because the pressure of theice lowers the melting point causestheglacier to melt
A moremodernway of trackingice movement Gpschip andsatellites
Glaciersareformed by compressedsnowca builtup ofsnow overthousands ofyears
roomsofice areroughly88tonnes of pressure caroma 88 cars
Oymyakoncase study
challengesand Adaptations
abuildingon permafrost
challenge
heatedbuildings can thaw the permafrost
oncethepermafrostthaws it sinksdamagingthebuilding
adaptation
engineerssolvethis problem byraisingbuildingsabovethe ground on a steelframe coldair can flow under them
andstop the permafrost thawing
2 water supplies
challenge
in places with a continous stretchof permafrostfindingwater is a challenge especially duringwinter times
adaptation
waterpipesfrom the water supply to buildings
theyhave to be protected so that the water insidethe pipedoes not freeze and the groundaround the
pipe doesnot thaw
3 Transportinfrastructure
challenge
roadsandbridgesmay bedamaged by frostheave
insummer theroads melt and mustbe rebuiteach winter
adaptation
soilunder the roads can be replaced with gravel so that water drains better and there is lessfrosthea
roadsmay be painted white to reflectmore neat and keepthem cooler
GlobalDistribution of Extreme Environments
warmerenvironments by the equator
longerdistance less neat concentrationbecause the rays are broader
whenIndia andEurasia tectonicplates collidetheycanonlygo up
formedthe Himalayas
Heightsof the Himalayas willdecreasedue to erosion
the tectonicprocesses causemountainbuilding
Mountains are colderdue to the environmental lapserate
normalaveragerate of cooling with altitude cosocperroom
, Atmospheregets colder the higher it is fromthe sealevel
volumeof the atmosphere getsthicker the further youmoveaway
as theatmospheresinks it compresses the molecules which
requires lessenergy
Madrid widerange of temperatures
middleofSpain
coldwinters very warm summers
the coasthas a smaller range of temperatures
mildsummers coolwinters
Oymyakon example
oymyakon is in themiddleof Serbia
warm up relativelyquickly isac in summer
cooldownrelativelyquickly c ta c in winter
Mechanisms
a distancefromthe equator
2 environmentallapse rate 6 s c room
3 distancefromthe sea looserorfurtherawayfrom the coast
Climate Graph
É
É
months
windspeedincreases ax withevery nooo ft
Men of Rock
1840 scottishhighlands were investigated by LouisAgassiz and William Bucklands
crevasse splitbetweenthe ice
Agassiz predicts that scotlandwas oncecovered in icesheets as thick as Green lands are todaycover3km
Agassiz carried an investigation in which he trackedthe placement ofsticks throughout a periodof 5years to
test whetherglaciersmoved
Agassiz discovered that the entire glacierwas moving so com a year
the glacierstraveldown themountain
behaves like a liquid the glaciersslide andflow past eachother
the bottomof the ice melts because the pressure of theice lowers the melting point causestheglacier to melt
A moremodernway of trackingice movement Gpschip andsatellites
Glaciersareformed by compressedsnowca builtup ofsnow overthousands ofyears
roomsofice areroughly88tonnes of pressure caroma 88 cars
