Page 37 - Microsoft Word - geo class task.docx

• Tundra wolves adaptedàgrey coat to blend in with surroundings
• Prey on deer, moose, caribou, musk ox and dall sheep
• Vulnerable to fur trade
• Average pack size is 6 0r 7
• Status: Least concern
• Very elusive

CASE STUDY: ALASKAN INUPIAT VILLAGE KAKTOVIK ON BARTER ISLAND

Melting of the Permafrost

• Permafrost meltingàcommunities are sinking into the ground
• Alaskan government is trying to move the 210 Kaktovik people to more
stable land around the Beaufort Sea
• They are reluctant to leave as their village holds cultural significance,
religious heritage, important to them
• Government and organisations also want them to leave as Kaktovik is the
only community in the area as the region is heavily drilled for oil and
mined
• Melting permafrost also means more water in the biosphere and the
release of carbon into the atmosphere that accelerates the greenhouse
effect

Climate change, the greenhouse effect and the melting of sea ice

• As more carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere by the burning of
fossil fuels, sea ice is melting, forcing new animals onto the tundra
o IE increasing numbers of polar bears are coming onto the tundra
into Kaktovik in search of food, mostly whale from indigenous
cultural hunts
o Effect on ecosystem functioning is more pressure on land to
support more life, and different lifeàdisturbance of food web
o Also means Kaktovik has a Bear Patrol that goes out every night on
quad bikes on the lookout for bears wandering into town
o Higher temperatures mean grizzly bears are also beginning to
stray further and further North into the tundra which also impacts
the food web as it introduced a new predator

Impact of the West and technology, globalisation and how at risk

• More young people moving away from Kaktovik to pursue more Western
careers, move away from traditional indigenous interactions with the
ecosystem