World’s cold environments are high-latitude world regions
○ Cold, sinking air generates freezing winds
○ Insolation is weak
■ Sun doesn’t rise for several months → due to Earth’s tilt on its axis
● Ground is permanently frozen in polar and tundra climates = permafrost
○ ¼ of Earth’s surface is affected by continuous/sporadic permafrost
○ In tundra regions → ice in the uppermost active layer (top layer of soil) thaws/melts for a month or two
■ Is still ice underneath → acts as an impermeable barrier and causes soil to get waterlogged
Polar environments:
● Polar environments = regions of Earth surrounding the North and South poles
○ Partly/completely covered with Earth’s polar ice caps
○ Found in inland areas → far from the warming influence of the sea
■ eg/ Greenland, Northern Canada, Northern Russia (Siberia) and Antarctica
● Polar climates:
○ Daytime surface temperatures rarely reach 10°C
○ Average monthly temperature is always below freezing
■ Allows snow/ice to accumulate overtime
○ Precipitation usually falls as snow → in very small quantities
■ Cold air doesn’t hold much water vapour
Tundra environments:
● Tundra environments = flat, treeless Arctic regions of Europe, Asia and North America
○ Found south of the ice caps in the northern hemisphere
■ Occupy ⅕ of Earth’s surface
● eg/ Russia, Alaska and Canada
○ Ground is permanently frozen (permafrost) but is not covered in ice
■ Areas still experience very cold weather for most of the year
○ Lichen, mosses, grasses and dwarf shrubs grow here
● Tundra climates:
○ Thermal growing season lasts 6 – 10 weeks
■ Thermal growing season = period of time where temperatures are above 6°C
● Plants can grow
○ Short, cool summer → sun shines 24 hours a day
■ Precipitation falls as rain
○ Long, cold winter → darkness 24 hours a day
■ Precipitation falls as snow
○ Temperatures can fall below -40°C
■ Average monthly temperature is above freezing for only 1 month of the year
■ Mainly due to cold air temperatures