The global distribution of cold environments.

The idea

Cold environments are globally distributed across high latitudes and high altitudes, encompassing polar, periglacial, alpine, and glacial regions. Polar environments, such as Antarctica and Greenland, dominate latitudes above 66.5° north and south, characterised by permanent ice sheets. Periglacial zones, featuring permafrost, fringe these polar regions across northern Canada, Alaska, and Siberia. Alpine environments are found at high altitudes regardless of latitude, such as the Himalayas, Andes, and Alps, where temperature decreases with elevation (the environmental lapse rate). Glacial environments exist within both polar and alpine regions where snow accumulation exceeds ablation, forming moving ice masses.

What earns the marks

• Identify high latitude locations (above 66.5° north and south) as the primary zones for polar and periglacial environments.
• Identify high altitude locations, such as the Andes or Himalayas, as the primary zones for alpine environments.
• Explain the role of latitude in reducing insolation intensity, which creates the climatic conditions necessary for polar cold environments.
• Explain the role of altitude and the environmental lapse rate in creating cold environments at lower latitudes, including near the equator.

Common mistakes and how to put them right

• Assuming cold environments only exist at the poles.

  Put it right: Recognise that alpine cold environments exist at all latitudes, including the equator, due to high altitude.

• Confusing glacial and periglacial distributions.

  Put it right: Glacial environments are covered by permanent ice, whereas periglacial environments are found on the fringes of ice masses and are characterised by permafrost rather than surface ice.

• Stating that Antarctica is a periglacial environment.

  Put it right: Antarctica is primarily a glacial and polar environment covered by an ice sheet; periglacial environments are mostly found in the northern hemisphere, such as in Siberia.

Exam tips

• Use specific geographical examples, such as the Himalayas for alpine or Siberia for periglacial, when describing global distributions.
• Link the distribution of cold environments to physical drivers like the angle of solar incidence and the environmental lapse rate to add depth to your answers.
• Be prepared to annotate or interpret global maps showing the extent of permafrost, ice sheets, or major mountain ranges.