Cold Environments
Revision lesson
Key question 3.1
What processes and factors give cold
environments their distinctive characteristics?
Content
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Climate descriptions
What factors result in cold environments?
Erosional processes
Weathering processes
Erosional and Depositional features (maps and
photos)
Fragile???
Exploitation
Sustainable management
Climate descriptions
You will give an overview
of the climate recognising
an element of an annual
pattern. E.g. ‘A wide
range in temperature.’
You will also recognise a
seasonal pattern, such as
winter/summer.
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Have a go at
CHURCHILL,
CANADA.
Why do we get cold
environments?
What differences do you see?
Why do we get cold
environments?
Why do we get cold
environments?
High Latitude – They
receive a relatively small
amount of insolation due to
the low angle of the overhead
sun.
Albedo rate –
They reflect
large amounts
of solar
Why do we get cold
radiation.
environments?
Average
absorption is
40%. Dark
soils is 90%
and Ice, only
High altitude –
10%.
Temperatures decline on
average of 1 °C per 100m
climbed.
Why is there limmited precipitation
in cold environments?
Low air
temperatures –
Since cold air is only
able to hold small
amounts of moisture.
High pressure
conditions - This
reduces the amount
of precipitation.
Why is there limmited
precipitation in cold environments?
Continentality – In the Arctic,
rainfall declines away from
oceans as depressions
progressively lose moisture.
Rainfall
Processes in Glacial environments
Physical Weathering
Freeze Thaw Weathering
1. Rainwater or snow-melt collects in cracks in the rocks.
2. At night the temperatures drops and the water freezes and
expands.
3. The increases in volume of the ice exerts pressure on the
cracks in the rock, causing them to split further open.
4. During the day the ice melts and the water seeps deeper
into the cracks.
5. At night the water freezes again….etc.
Chemical weathering by meltwater
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Especially important on carbonate rocks such as
limestone!
CO2 is more soluble in water under colder
temperatures.
Forms a weak Carbonic acid.
As the stream becomes more acidic more
weathering takes place.
Erosional Processes
• Plucking
Animation
Erosional Processes
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Abrasion
Scree
Glacial
Till
Moraines
Drumlins
Glacial Processes