cold environments

• whats the climate like in polar regions

  1. very cold- usually below freezing
  2. winter -40 can reach -90
  3. low precipitation - less than 100m
• what the soil like in polar regions

  1. ice sheets
  2. permanently covered with ice
  3. no vegetation
• whats the vegetation like in polar regions

  1. moss and lichens grow on fringes of the ice
• what are the animals like in polar regions

  1. well adapted polar bears
• what are examples of polar regions

  1. norway
  2. north canada
  3. north russia
  4. greenlands
• what are examples of tundra regions

  1. north alaska
  2. russia
  3. canada
• what is the climate like in tundra regions

  1. temperatures may drop to -20
  2. brief summers at 10
  3. higher precipitation
• what are the soils like in tundra regions

  1. permafrost-soils frozen and melt in summer
  2. infertile- drained water removes the nutrients
  3. waterlogged - water trapped - permafrost
• what is the vegetation like in tundra regions

  1. low growing flowers and plants
  2. low bushes and small trees
  3. grass, moss, lichens
• what are the animals like in tundra regions

  1. several animals
  2. birds
  3. insects
• how are lichens adapted to cold regions

  1. adapted to permafrost with short roots and they absorb nutrients from rocks
• how are mosses adapted to cold regions

  1. adapted to poor drainage- tolerate dry and saturated land
• how is arctic willow adapted to cold regions

  1. adapted to strong winds - minimises moisture loss with small hairy leaves
  2. only grows to a max height of 6cm to reduce impact of wind
• how is arctic poppy adapted to cold regions

  1. adapted to low isolation - fast growing
  2. flowers rotate to the sun - allow light
• how are animals adapted to cold regions

  1. well insulated- thick fur like polar bears or layer of blubber like seals - this reduces amount of energy they use to keep warm
  2. some animals hibernate to conserve energy and survive winters - e.g. arctic ground squirrel hibernates for 7-8 months
  3. survive on limited food resources e.g. reindeer eat lichens during winter
  4. birds migrate into warmer regions e.g. arctic terns live in the arctic during northern hemisphere summer and fly to Antarctica for southern hemisphere summer
  5. grow white fur for camouflage e.g. arctic foxes and hares