Challenging Questions
Define permafrost
Part of the ground is permanently frozen.
Name 3 physical features of the arctic
lowlands, plateaus and mountains
tundra
Most of the people who live in the Arctic are:
Inuit or Dene
Name the important industries in the Arctic.
mining, fishing and hunting
What was built/opened in 2010 where the entire community came out to celebrate?
Opened a mosque in Inuvik.
The more ____ (north, south, east, west) you live, the ______ (colder, warmer) it is there.
north, colder
What do arctic ocean animals have to stay warm?
Blubber
What animals do the Inuit hunt?
seals, whales, walruses, fish
Why is eating blubber becoming dangerous?
air and water currents carry toxic chemicals from other places into the Arctic waters. The chemicals build up in the blubber and are passed on to the Inuit.
Describe the climate zones in the Arctic.
West Arctic Zone: dry and very cold year-round
East Arctic Zone: cold year-round; wet summer
Newcomers to the region come from which countries?
China, Germany, Philippines
Explain the advantage and disadvantage of mining. Give specific examples.
advantage: provides jobs
disadvantage: can harm and destroy wildlife habitats, affects the environment
Companies exploring for _____ (oil, minerals) have found large deposits of ____ (oil, minerals) beneath the _______ (Arctic Ocean, Beaufort Sea).
oil, oil, Beaufort Sea
Why does this region have little precipitation? Explain.
air is too cold and it cannot hold as much moisture as warm air.
What are the 4 ways people travel in the arctic?
air, boat, snowmobile, dogsled
Name all the minerals the Arctic has.
diamonds, gold, lead, zinc, copper and iron
What are some of the subjects the Inuit students learn in school?
Inuit language, skills such as building snow shelters, fishing, and hunting seal and other animals.
Explain what the climate change is doing to the arctic (to the environment, people...)
causing the region to get warmer. Rising temperatures are melting the permafrost and sea ice. This is causing homes to sink and is affecting food sources.
Explain how the communities get their supplies? (how, when, where, why)
through large boats called barges. They are delivered once a year in the summer when the water is ice-free.
catch and clean the fish
move them to float planes
take the fish to a processing plant
re-clean the fish and freeze
ship to other parts of Canada and around the world