Chap. 6, part 2

Continental Shelves

• Near large pop, urban areas.

• Resources:

– Estuaries, lagoons, near-shore

– Off-shore fisheries

– Off-shore oil and gas

• Problems:

– Fish stock depletion

– Pollution from terrestrial runoff

– Pollution from oil and gas production

Mountain Lands

• Isolated, difficult to settle, more attractive lately.

• Resource status:

– Rare and sensitive species

– Poor soils, short growing season, but good moisture

– Natural hazards

– Recreation/tourism

• Problems:

– Incr. agri; De-vegetation, erosion, slope failure

– Impacts of urbanization in some places

– Impacts from recreation and tourism

Cold/Polar regions

• Isolated, difficult to settle, more resource extraction

• Resource status:

– Rare and sensitive species

– Oil, gas, minerals

– Strong traditional cultures

– Recreation/tourism

• Problems:

– Impacts of resource extraction, timber and energy

– Global warming more pronounced: thawing permafrost

– Retreating sea ice and glaciers

– See: http://amap.no/acia