AQA GCSE Geography (8035) · Spec 3.1.2.4
Cold environments
Read the notes, then try the questions. Each one is marked the moment you press Check, and shows the right answer and why.
Key ideas
- Cold environments such as the Arctic and Antarctica have long, very cold winters and little precipitation. Plants are low-growing and the ground may be frozen.
- Permafrost is ground that stays at or below 0 degrees C for at least two years. The top layer, the active layer, thaws in summer.
- Animals and plants are adapted. Some animals have blubber or thick fur, and plants grow low to the ground.
- Development brings opportunities such as oil and gas, tourism and fishing. The challenges are extreme cold, a remote location and building on permafrost, because heat from buildings can melt the ground.
- Cold environments can be protected by agreements such as the Antarctic Treaty, by wilderness areas and by limiting tourism and mining.
Key terms
- Permafrost
- Ground that stays at or below 0 degrees C for at least two years.
- Active layer
- The top layer of ground that thaws each summer.
- Tundra
- A cold region with long winters and low-growing plants.
- Blubber
- A thick layer of fat that keeps an animal warm.
- Wilderness area
- A place protected so that people have little effect on it.
- Antarctic Treaty
- A 1959 agreement to protect Antarctica, signed by twelve countries.
Common mistakes
- Thinking permafrost is snow on top of the ground. It is frozen ground.
- Saying the ground is hard to dig in summer. The active layer thaws and turns soft, so buildings can sink.
- Mixing up opportunities and challenges. Oil and tourism are opportunities. Permafrost melting and remoteness are challenges.
Exam tip
Use your case study (such as Alaska or Svalbard) to give named facts. When a 6-mark question asks for opportunities and challenges, cover both and use a linking word such as however.
Free practice questions
6 questions, 16 marks. Answer, then press Check. The marking guide explains how the marks are worked out. Nothing is saved.
- Question 1 · Multiple choice[1 mark]
What is permafrost?
- Question 2 · Fill the gaps[2 marks]
Permafrost is ground that stays at or below ___ degrees C for at least ___ years.
Word bank: two · five · 0 · 10
- Question 3 · Matching[4 marks]
Match each term to its meaning.
- Question 4 · Multiple choice[1 mark]
What is the main reason buildings and pipelines in Alaska are hard to build on permafrost?
- Question 5 · Fill the gaps[2 marks]
The Antarctic ___ was signed in ___ by twelve countries.
Word bank: 1959 · 1991 · Treaty · Protocol
- Question 6 · Sort into groups[6 marks]
Sort each item into the correct group for developing a cold environment.
Fishing
Permafrost melting under buildings
Extreme cold below -30 degrees C
Oil and gas extraction
Remote, hard-to-reach location
Tourism