Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Fig. 13.4
Melting of
permafrost causes a road to
collapse in Alaska (Photo
courtesy of Federal Highway
Administration, 2010)
Alaska's Brooks Range. Tourism is a major industry in the European Alps and will
become important in the Caucasus Mountains following the 2014 Winter Olympics.
13.3.2
Land Degradation
Global warming is the key environmental issue in high-mountains regions and was
considered in the previous chapter. Other environmental concerns are overgrazing,
deforestation in the subalpine, and landslides and fl ash fl oods from melting of per-
mafrost. Mining and mining waste disposal are issues in the Fennoscandian and
Andes Mountains. After-effects from radioactive fallout from the Chernobyl disaster
continue to threaten alpine ecosystems in Eastern Europe.
13.4
Summary
The key land uses in Antarctica are establishment of scientifi c bases and tourism.
These activities have had localized impacts in terms of petroleum spills and release
of toxic chemicals.
In the Arctic key land uses are subsistence living, oil and gas extraction, mining,
and more recently tourism. Land degradation in the Arctic is manifested by spills of
petroleum products from pipelines, soil and water contamination from mining,
removal of timberline forests, and removal of sand and gravel for access roads and
pads for pumping stations. Key land uses in areas with mountain permafrost include
mining, recreation, limited agriculture, and highway-railway construction. Land
degradation in alpine regions with permafrost include erosion and mass wasting
from cutting of subalpine forests, fl ash fl oods from melting of permafrost, soil and
water contamination from mining and mining waste disposal, and the after-effects
from radioactive fallout from the Chernobyl disaster.
