Key Terms: Cold Environments Flashcards

All 7 cards in this deck

What is the tundra?

A cold environment found in high latitudes with low-growing vegetation, seasonal snow cover and permafrost beneath the surface.

What is a polar environment?

An extremely cold environment around the poles, covered in ice and snow all year with almost no vegetation.

What is permafrost?

Ground that remains permanently frozen for two or more years.

What is a wilderness area?

A region that is largely untouched and unaffected by human activity.

What is meant by a fragile environment?

An environment that is easily damaged and takes a very long time to recover.

What is conservation?

Protecting and managing the natural environment so that species and habitats survive.

True or false? Permafrost is the layer of soil that thaws each summer in the tundra.

False. That thawed surface layer is the active layer; permafrost stays frozen all year.