GCSE · Geography · AQA · Spec 8035

Physical characteristics of a cold environment

Picture a desert: sand, blazing sun, hardly any rain. Now the twist. Some cold environments are deserts too, and the reason has nothing to do with heat.

The desert line

Where does a desert begin?

Some cold environments are called deserts. To see why, you need the line that makes somewhere a desert, and that line is drawn on precipitation (rain, snow and so on), measured in millimetres per year. Set the range of yearly precipitation you think counts as a desert, and decide whether each end is included.

Lower endUpper end

Include the lower end (open circle)Include the upper end (open circle)

Predict, then check

Cold environments come in two kinds, polar and tundra, and both have their own distinctive physical characteristics.

Think about all the physical characteristics that make a cold environment what it is. How do you think they fit together?

Cold environments

So are cold places wet or dry?

You know where the desert line sits. Now think about cold environments as a whole, polar and tundra.

Which is closest to what you think about precipitation in cold environments?

Cold places are wet. They look snowy, so lots of precipitation must fall.Every cold environment is a desert.Most are very dry and some are deserts, but some coastal tundra is wet.

How sure are you?

I'm sureI think soI'm guessing

Cold places are wet. They look snowy, so lots of precipitation must fall.

This is a common misconception

It is a very common picture, but for most cold environments it is the wrong way round. In reality, most cold environment regions are extremely dry, and some receive less than 250 mm of precipitation a year, which makes them deserts. Cold tells you about temperature. It does not tell you how much precipitation falls.

Every cold environment is a desert.

This is a common misconception

Close, but you have gone one step too far. Most cold regions are extremely dry and some are dry enough to be deserts, but not all of them. Some areas of coastal tundra receive a substantial quantity of precipitation, so 'every' is wrong.

Most are very dry and some are deserts, but some coastal tundra is wet.

This matches the evidence

Exactly right. Most cold environment regions are extremely dry, and some areas receive less than 250 mm of precipitation a year, which makes them deserts. The exception to remember is some areas of coastal tundra, which do receive a substantial quantity of precipitation.

Most cold regions are extremely dry, and some are deserts. The exception is some areas of coastal tundra, which get a substantial quantity of precipitation. So cold does not mean wet, and it does not mean desert every time either.

Write it, then mark it

Put it into your own words

Explain why some cold environments are described as deserts. [3 marks]

Your answer

0 words · your answer stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

The mark scheme

Most cold environment regions are extremely dry. (1 mark)
Some areas receive less than 250 mm of precipitation per year. (1 mark)
Receiving less than 250 mm of precipitation a year is what defines a desert, whatever the temperature. (1 mark)

Model answer

Most cold environment regions are extremely dry. Some areas receive less than 250 mm of precipitation a year, and receiving less than 250 mm a year is what defines a desert. Temperature is not part of that definition, so these areas count as deserts even though they are cold.

Link the amount to the definition. 'Less than 250 mm a year' is what makes an area a desert, cold or hot.

WHAT YOU'VE LEARNED

A quick recap of today's lesson.

How somewhere cold can still be a desert.

What you need to know

Cold environments are polar and tundra environments, and they have distinctive physical characteristics.
In a cold environment, the climate influences the other physical characteristics.
A desert is an area that receives less than 250 mm of precipitation per year. Temperature is not part of the definition.
Most cold environment regions are extremely dry and some are deserts, but some areas of coastal tundra receive a substantial quantity of precipitation.

The big picture

Cold environments come in two kinds, polar and tundra, and they have distinctive physical characteristics. Their climate influences the other physical characteristics. Despite the snowy image most people have, most cold regions are extremely dry. Some receive less than 250 mm of precipitation a year, which makes them deserts, although some areas of coastal tundra do receive a substantial quantity of precipitation.

Key points

1Two kinds of cold environment: polar and tundra.

2Climate influences the other physical characteristics.

3Desert means dry, not hot: under 250 mm of precipitation a year, with exactly 250 mm left out.

4Most cold regions are extremely dry and some are deserts. The exception is some coastal tundra, which gets a lot of precipitation.

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Worked example

Problem

Imagine three places. Place P is cold and receives 180 mm of precipitation a year. Place Q is hot and receives exactly 250 mm a year. Place R is cold and receives 700 mm a year. Which of them are deserts?

⚠ Watch out

Swinging too far and writing that every cold environment is a desert. Most cold regions are extremely dry and some are deserts, but some areas of coastal tundra receive a substantial quantity of precipitation, so keep 'most' and 'some' in your answer.

🧠

Memory hook

Desert = Dry, not Hot. Under 250 mm a year makes a desert, however cold it is.

✓

Check yourself

Without looking back: in one sentence, explain how a cold environment can also be a desert. Then name the kind of cold area that can be an exception to the dry rule.

Flashcards

(6)

What are the two types of cold environment?

Polar and tundra.

What influences the other physical characteristics of a cold environment?

Its climate.

How much precipitation a year defines an area as a desert?

Less than 250 mm a year.

Is temperature part of the definition of a desert?

No. The definition is about precipitation only, which is why a cold place can be a desert.

Are most cold environment regions wet or dry?

Extremely dry.

Which areas of cold environments can receive a substantial quantity of precipitation?

Some areas of coastal tundra.

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Where does a desert begin?

So are cold places wet or dry?

Put it into your own words

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