An Overview of Cold Environments

Cold environments are biomes that play an important role in regulating the world’s climate, helping to keep the planet at an even temperature. If you need a refresher on what a biome is and its importance, please click here.

Cold Environments are found near the Earth’s poles, the coldest places on Earth with the least sunlight. They come in two different types:

  • Polar
  • Tundra

Together, they make up 35% of the Earth’s surface and are typically found at high latitudes. Polar and Tundra regions have different distributions and characteristics, which you can read more about here.

Cold environments support many types of flora and fauna; however, they have low biodiversity due to the extreme climate. Adapting to the temperatures and weather conditions is crucial for the survival of any wildlife in the polar or tundra regions. To read more about how animals and plants have adapted to life in cold environments, click here.

Both tundra and polar environments support human life as well as wildlife. These biomes hold a wealth of natural resources that humans desire, as well as many traditions embedded in the lifestyles of the people who live there. Communities in these environments find ways to capitalise on their particular circumstances for economic gains. To read more about this, click here.

Cold environments are crucial to the balance of planet Earth and are suffering greatly from climate change. As these environments continue to be harmed, humans must consider their role in managing and sustaining cold environments to ensure that the balance of the Earth’s ecosystems is not disrupted. To read about strategies for sustaining cold environments and how humans are working together to achieve this, click here.

Cold Environments Revision Guide

Here is a revision guide providing an overview of cold environments: