IB Geography Extreme Environments

What Is Desertification?

David Rankin chases, predicts, and captures Flash Floods on video as a hobby.

For 1,000 years the indigenous Nenets people have herded their reindeer along the Yamal peninsula. But their survival in this remote region of north-west Siberia is under serious threat from climate change as Russia's ancient permafrost melts

The world's deserts are facing dramatic changes as a result of global climate change, high water demands, tourism and salt contamination of irrigated soils.

Mineral Extraction in the Sahara Desert

Think our winter's been a bit grim? Try visiting Yakutsk - the Russian city where 'a bit nippy' means minus 50C, and a quick dash to the corner shop could end in frostbite. Shaun Walker enjoys a mini-break in deepest Siberia

Mineral extraction in Mauritania. Settlement

Zouerat. Mineral extraction and settlement in the Sahara.

interactive book

Stephen Pax Leonard reports on the changes facing the Inughuit people, as mining of the country's vast untapped mineral wealth looks set to overwhelm their traditions

Glossary of Glacier Terminology: A glossary providing the vocabulary necessary to understand the modern glacier environment.

patterned ground

The aim of this lesson: To be able to explain the advance and retreat of glaciers. To be able to explain the main features resulting from the processes of erosion and deposition by glaciers [glacial trough, a cirque, hanging valley, an arête, a pyramidal peak, an erratic, a drumlin, various types of moraine]. Updated Feb 2012

Updated June 2012 To examine the processes and factors involved in desertification

Animation showing different types of glaciers, anatomy of glaciers, glacial movement, glacial erosion, glacial deposition (and features), and glacial landscapes. Good descriptions.

The grandchildren of today's skiers are likely to know the white peaks of Switzerland only from the wrappers of chocolate bars. A remarkable report on climate change that will be handed to European governments this week will say that the effect of rising temperatures will mean an end to snow across large areas of the Alps.

While climatologists argue over the effect that rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide will have on the climate, there is one thing we can't ignore. The world's glaciers are melting. Rapidly.