Identify one type of cold extreme environment.

State three physical characteristics of the cold extreme environment that you identified in (a)(i).

Explain why semi-arid areas are considered to be extreme environments.

“Global climate change will prevent people from living in extreme environments.” Discuss this statement with reference to one or more extreme environments.

• Polar/glacial (equally acceptable)
• Periglacial/tundra
• Alpine/high mountains.

Do not accept regions, such as Arctic.

Exact answer will depend on the cold environment chosen. Credit three valid statements that can be linked to the example chosen in (a)(i).

Polar/glacial – year-round/permanent snow/ice/cold all year [1 mark], extreme seasonality [1 mark], high latitudes above 65–70°N and some parts of the southern hemisphere [1 mark], limited biological activity but does have ecosystem eg polar bears [1 mark].

Periglacial/tundra – seasonal ground ice cover/fluctuating temperatures [1 mark], underlain by sporadic/discontinuous permafrost [1 mark], tundra biome eg low-lying perennials [1 mark], found on edges of polar/glacial areas/latitude 60–70°N [1 mark].

Alpine/high mountains in non-tropical latitudes – year-round/permanent snow/ice/cold all year due to altitude/snow line [1 mark], extreme diurnal temperature variations [1 mark], limited biological activity eg limit of tree-line but does have ecosystem eg alpine meadows [1 mark].

Semi-arid environments are areas with 250–500 mm rain per year [1 mark] and suffer seasonal water shortages [1 mark]. Average temperatures are high (25°C upwards) for most of year [1 mark].

The remaining [3 marks] should be allocated either for an in-depth explanation of these physical factors or for showing how they create challenges for resource development and human habitation. For instance, this creates difficulty maintaining
sedentary agriculture as insufficient water supply without irrigation – and even then high evapotranspiration rates reduce effective water availability. Salinization is a common problem where over-abstraction has taken place. Credit explanation that incorporates other factors such as remoteness, inaccessibility, relief.

Responses could deal with indigenous populations, settlements and/or economic activity in extreme environments (responses that do not deal with extreme environments should not progress beyond band C). Responses may argue that climate change will/will not have a major/minor impact on extreme environments. Some may argue that the impacts will vary from extreme environment to extreme environment. Some will examine the varying ability of different populations to adapt to change through technology.

To access band D, some impacts on people in extreme environments should be described.

To access bands E and F, responses must discussboth sides of the argument and draw conclusions.

Marks should be allocated according to the markbands.

Some candidates had difficulty identifying characteristics of an extreme environment, and many cited a region rather than a type of environment.

Some candidates had difficulty identifying characteristics of an extreme environment, and many cited a region rather than a type of environment.

Many candidates were able to describe the physical characteristics of semi-arid areas, but relatively few were able to show how these created a challenge for human activity.

This proved to be a challenging question, and there were relatively few good responses.