Geography Teaching Today

This lesson explores the physical geography of Svalbard using Google Earth with reference to the fantastic places depicted in the novel ‘Northern Lights’ and its film version the ‘The Golden Compass’

Key questions:

• What is the physical geography of Svalbard like?
• What glacial features can be recognised?

Key Concepts:
Place
Space
Physical & human processes  

What is the physical geography of Svalbard like?
The cold climate gives Svalbard a distinct physical landscape and processes.  Rock, ice and sea are the main landscape features. There is no tall vegetation and only lichen above 1100m. Svalbard is glaciated, 60% of the land is ice covered, and it has small valley glaciers as well as large outlet glaciers draining ice-caps. Glaciers and the rivers issuing from them erode the landscape and then transport and deposit the eroded materials. Weathering and erosion are mainly the mechanical processes of frost shatter, freeze-thaw, abrasion and plucking.

Ground is permanently frozen and impermeable nearly everywhere above 100m altitude. This is called permafrost and varies from 10m to 45m thickness. Only the very top layer thaws in summer enabling some plant growth. It causes problems for constructing and heating buildings and explains why some buildings and pipes are on short stilts.  

What glacial features can be recognised?
Glacial landforms include include fjords, glacial valleys, arêtes and nunataks (erosional), outwash plains, alluvial fans, moraines and braided streams (depositional). Svalbard also has periglacial features associated with cold areas, such as pingos which are small hills created by ice lenses underground, and patterned ground resulting from frost and ice heaving materials up from the ground.  

Click on an activity:
Starter
Main activity

Downloads:
Svalbard Google Earth file

List of physical features to identify in Google Earth

Northern Lights clip from Youtube

Fact Sheet: Arctic Environments