Physical characteristics of cold environments

Polar regions:
- Climate: extremely cold, with temperatures often below -50°C. Low amounts of precipitation (mostly snow), making it a cold desert.
- Landscape: covered in ice sheets and glaciers, with little exposed land. Examples include Antarctica and Greenland.
- Vegetation: almost no vegetation due to the extreme cold. Some mosses and lichens may grow on exposed rocks.
- Wildlife: limited species adapted to the cold, such as polar bears, penguins, and seals.
Tundra:
- Climate: cold, but less extreme than polar regions. Temperatures can rise above freezing in summer, but winters are long and harsh.
- Landscape: permafrost (permanently frozen ground) underlies the soil. In summer, the top layer thaws, creating boggy conditions.
- Vegetation: low-growing plants like mosses, lichens, grasses, and shrubs. No trees due to the short growing season and frozen soil.
- Wildlife: animals like Arctic foxes, caribou, and snowy owls, adapted to survive the cold and limited food supply

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