Geography: Do Glaciers Affect Us?

Bringing in tourists
1. There are no glaciers in the UK now but they left stunning scenery behind & it attracts tourists.
  1. Around 16 million people visit the Lake District a year, & spend almost £1billion.
Presenting a challenge
1. many people dream of climbing Mount Everest. It's a pyramidal peak.
Supporting life
1. people depended on glaciers for survival.
  1. The great River Indus runs down through Pakistan. Up to half of its water is meltwater from glaciers in Himalayas. Farmers use river water for their crops.
    1. Some examples of rivers fed by glaciers: Ganges in India & the Yangtze in China
In need of protection
1. Antarctica has 90%of Earth's ice. The land below may be rich in mineral resources. People might like to mine it.
  1. Nobody owns Antarctica. But 7 countries claimed slices in it: the UK, France, Norway, New Zealand, Australia, Chile & Argentina.
    1. one day these claims may cause conflict. But for now, mining is banned by the Antarctic Treaty. It protects Antarctica as a place of peace & scientific research.
Melting!
1. Scientists found out that the ice sheets are melting it's getting thinner.The trouble is the more they melt the higher the water level is. Many coastal places may flood.
  1. Scientists agree that we humans are the main cause of this. Mainly because of all the fossil fuels that we burn.

Resource summary

	Created by Yu-Qing Tham about 8 years ago