Year 10 - Geography
Location and physical characteristics of cold environments
Cold environments
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
This unit teaches pupils about the location, characterisitics, opprtunities and challenges associated with one global environment, either hot deserts or cold environments. Pupils will also learn about plant and animal adaptation and about issues facing their chosen environment.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to describe the location and physical characteristics of cold environments.
Key Notes
- Cold environments (polar and tundra) and located at high latitudes close to the poles.
- Cold environments have distinctive physical characteristics.
- The climate influences other physical characteristics of cold environments.
Vocabulary To Learn
- cold environments: environments found at higher latitudes and higher altitudes; they include polar, tundra and alpine biomes
- biome: a global land area that is characterised by its plants, animals and climate
- latitude: the angular distance of a place north or south of Earth's Equator
- tundra: a vast, flat, treeless Arctic region where vegetation growth is hindered by extreme low temperatures and short growing seasons
- climate: the average weather conditions of a place over a long period of time, typically 30 years or more
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Cold environments receive a lot of precipitation (in this case snowfall).
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain this geography topic using two clear key points.
Cold environments (polar and tundra) and located at high latitudes close to the poles. Cold environments have distinctive physical characteristics.
2. Define this geography term and use it in an example. 'cold environments'
environments found at higher latitudes and higher altitudes; they include polar, tundra and alpine biomes.
3. Correct this common geography misunderstanding.
Mistake: Cold environments receive a lot of precipitation (in this case snowfall). Correction: While some areas of coastal tundra does receive a substantial quantity of precipitation, in reality most cold environment regions are extremely dry, with some areas receiving less than 250 mm of precipitation per year - defining them as deserts.
More Lessons In This Unit
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