Extreme Environments
You should use this PowerPoint in
conjunction with your exercise book
to help you revise.
You need to know…
• Definition of an extreme environment, types and examples
• Cold environments
– Sami people (way of life and how they have adapted to living there)
– Antarctica (adaptations to living there)
• Hot environments
– where they are found and why?
– adaptations to living there
• Wet environments
– monsoon: What is it? Where gets it? What are the impacts? How
do they cope with it?
• Dry environments
– climate
– adaptations to living there
• How to read a climate graph
Cold environments: Sami people
• Sami people are found across the northern
parts of Finland, Russia, Sweden and Norway.
• They have adapted their way of life to living in
a cold environment.
Cold environments: Antarctica
• Many scientists spend months in Antarctica
completing research projects.
• They have had to adapt living and working
conditions to suit the cold environment.
Living & Working in Antarctica – British Antarctic Survey
Hot environments: where are they found?
Hot environments
• Hot environments are found near the Equator
as this is where the sun’s energy is most
concentrated.
So energy is less
concentrated as the
Earth’s surface is more
curved and temperatures
are cooler.
So energy is more
concentrated as the
Earth’s surface is flatter
and temperatures are
hotter.
Hot environments: adaptations
People
Plants
Adaptations
Plants
Buildings
BBC Bitesize – adaptations
Animals
Wet environments: monsoon
• A monsoon is a rainy season in south-east
Asia. The winds blow from the south-west and
bring heavy rain with them.
Animation
Wet environments: monsoon
• What are the impacts of a monsoon?
– Bangladesh and the positive impacts of a
monsoon
When describing impacts don’t forget to develop
the knock-on effects e.g. floods > schools are closed
> education suffers.
• How do people cope with the monsoon rains?
– Adapting homes in Bangladesh
Dry environments: desert
• Deserts have very little rainfall but can be either
hot or cold.
How to read a climate graph