Key Terminology

• • • • • • Density

Define the key term above by using the 'Useful Link' below.

Useful Link

• • • • • • Wikipedia Definition - Population density

Activity One - Describe

There are a whole host of clips that we could watch to really see how the climate of cold areas impacts our activities and mobility. Regardless of your thoughts of Top Gear it gives a lively overview of what the North Pole is like - in a high latitude environment. 

1. 1. 1. Watch the YouTube clip below and write down how this environment impacts what the presenters wear, eat and live. You could record your thoughts in bullet points or by using a small mind map.

      2. What are the key climatic characteristics of cold environments? Use the first link to describe the average climatic conditions throughout the year for Utqiaġvik and Churchill, Canada. 

      3. Using the textbook 'Glaciation and Periglaciation' by Jane Knight and the second link in the 'Useful Resources' box to help flesh out your answer. 

      4. What is the relief like in cold environments. Use the youtube clip below and the 'Glaciation and Periglaciation' textbook to answer the question.

Useful Resources

Activity Two - Explain - Detailed Example

You have now viewed what a cold environment can be like by focusing on the North Pole. While the clip illustrated that cold environments are difficult to live in it is not completely impossible. Humans choose to live in extremely cold areas due to the types of resources that can be found there. The demand for very specific resources can change over time. We are going to explore Churchill which is located in Canada.

• No road access at all. Rail and air only.

• In May 2017 flooding destroyed the rail line, cutting the town off for 18 months and forcing everything in by air at enormous cost.

• It is now positioning itself as a year-round Arctic trade gateway as sea ice retreats.

• • 1. Using the Google Arts and Culture website:

       1. 1. 1. • Describe how the conditions in this area could cause human discomfort.

                • What is making this area inaccessible?

                • What evidence is there that suggests this area is remote?

    2. Collect a piece of A3 paper and copy the table below into it.

• • • • • Describe and explain why human discomfort, remoteness and inaccessibility impact population density within Churchill.

        • Now do the same as the previous bullet point but for the Alps.

 Useful Resources

Activity Three - Mass Movement

The hazard in cold areas is often related to the mass movement of rock or snow and ice. Blatten, in Valais is our 'local' example. On May the 28th, 2025 the Birch glacier collapsed sending 20 million tonnes of ice and rock down 1200m at 200km per hour. 300 buildings were destroyed within Blatten and 70 in Ried with a loss of 320 million Swiss Francs. 1 person died. Swiss Alpine permafrost lost about 15% of its ice between 2015 and 2022, and the preceding decade was the warmest in the Alps since at least the early medieval period.

 Useful Resources