Eduqas A-Level Geography A110QS
Coastal LandscapesLandscape
Glaciated LandscapesLandscape
Changing Places
Water and Carbon Cycles
Global Migration
Global Governance of the Oceans
Tectonic Hazards
EcosystemsContemporary theme
Economic Growth and Challenge: IndiaContemporary theme
Economic Growth and Challenge: ChinaContemporary theme
Development in an African ContextContemporary theme
Energy Challenges and DilemmasContemporary theme
Weather and ClimateContemporary theme
Geographical Skills
Ecosystems
Impacts of climate change on the Arctic tundra
- 2 things to know
- Component 3 Section B
Overview
Warming at several times the global rate — permafrost thaw, shrub encroachment, altered albedo and the carbon feedback — and what it means for the species and people of the biome.
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
What is the ice-albedo feedback?
Questions from this subtopic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
How fast is the Arctic warming compared with the world as a whole?
Model answer
Research published in 2022 found that the Arctic has warmed nearly four times faster than the global average since 1979. Loss of reflective sea ice drives much of that difference.
- 2
What is the ice-albedo feedback?
Model answer
Sea ice melting exposes dark ocean, which absorbs far more solar radiation than white ice. Extra warming melts more ice, so the process reinforces itself.
- 3
How much carbon is stored in Arctic permafrost?
Model answer
Estimates put the carbon stored in northern permafrost at around 1,400 to 1,600 billion tonnes. The permafrost store holds roughly twice the amount of carbon in the atmosphere.
- 4
Why is permafrost thaw a global concern?
Model answer
Permafrost thaw lets microbes decompose organic matter that has been frozen for thousands of years. Carbon dioxide and methane are released, which warms the climate further.
- 5
What is thermokarst?
Model answer
Thermokarst is the irregular, hummocky ground produced when ice-rich permafrost thaws and the surface collapses. Ponds, slumps and gullies form as the ground subsides.
- 6
How does permafrost thaw damage infrastructure?
Model answer
Buildings, roads, pipelines and airstrips built on frozen ground subside as it softens. Repair costs across the Arctic run to billions of dollars.
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