How do people use glaciated landscapes?

How do people use glaciated landscapes?How do we use glaciated landscapes?There are several uses for glaciated landscapes, they are:Provide water for drinking and irrigating cropsGenerate hydroelectric powerUsed for leisure and tourismAgriculture in glacier landscapesCommunications

Drinking/IrrigationIn Peru/Bolivia they have dry spells of no rain so they rely on glaciers/ice caps melting to provide them with waterGlobal warming means this is happening longer each year, but it cant last forever!Places like India and Afghanistan rely also on this type of water in dry seasons, they get lots of rain during monsoon (wet) season but its dirty water so cant be drunkIn Switzerland, they use glacier water to irrigate or water their crops, again this probably cant last forever due to global warming (see picture pg 90)Hydroelectric PowerPlaces such as Norway, Canada and New Zealand use glacial water to provide water to power hydroelectric power plantsThese power plants work by way of water being pushed through large turbines. As the turbines speed up they provide powerIt is a power source that will hopefully last for many yearsClyde Hydro Electric Power Station NZ

Tourism/LeisureGlaciers can be used for walking or just looking atAs the ice melts it runs into streams which creates torrents for kayakers to useSnowdonia in the UK is a great example of how a glaciated landscape can be used for tourism, look at the numbers!5000 people employed directly/indirectly in tourism/leisure industry180 million made purely thru tourism22 is the average amount spent by day tourists (people who dont stay overnight)80 average spend by tourists who do stay overnightAdvantages/Disadvantages of tourism in glacier areasThe lakes and mountains of glacial highland areas attract British and international tourists.They visit the highlands for activities such as skiing, climbing, mountain biking, hiking and hang gliding.This gives people who live in towns an opportunity to enjoy the countryside, and brings wealth to the local people who provide them with accommodation and other services.

Not everyone in local communities welcomes tourists. Some fear interference with their livelihoods (eg farmers), or congestion and pollution from cars and litter.Tourist developments like building ski lifts can spoil the landscape.Too much recreational activity may damage fragile environments (eg soil erosion can interfere with flora and fauna).

AgricultureUsually hill sheep farming is the most commonSteep slopes and poor soil make it hard to grow cropsGlacial deposits in lower areas are full of minerals which are great for farmingCommunication Railways are built along valley floors, edges of valleysRoads are usually designed along the same linesMountains mean that it can make a journey between two places that are close, take a long time