IB Geography Option C Extreme Environments Key Definitions

A company which operates in at least two countries.

When wind-borne particles, such as sand, strike rock surfaces, wearing them down over time.

Adventure tourism focuses on physically challenging activities that push boundaries and offer unforgettable experiences.

Fan-shaped deposits of sediment found at the base of slopes, formed by flash floods.

Smaller, isolated versions of mesas, often described as mesas in miniature.

CSOs, including NGOs and advocacy groups, work to promote sustainable development and protect vulnerable communities.

When wind removes fine, loose particles from the surface, leaving behind larger, heavier materials.

Clearing forests for agriculture or urban development removes tree roots that stabilize the soil, increasing erosion and nutrient loss, as well as decreasing water retention capacity.

The expansion of desert-like conditions into previously fertile areas.

Displacement refers to the forced movement of people caused by factors such as natural disasters, famine, diseases, or conflict.

A drought is a prolonged period of abnormally low rainfall relative to the multi-annual average for a specific region, resulting in a significant water shortage. It can lead to a depletion of soil moisture, reduced water supply in rivers and reservoirs, and adverse impacts on agriculture, ecosystems, and human activities.

Mounds of sand shaped by wind patterns, varying in size and shape depending on wind direction, sand supply, and vegetation.

Eco-tourism focuses on sustainable travel to natural areas.

Areas where harsh climatic conditions make survival and development challenging for humans, plants, and animals.

1. The artificial application of water to the soil to assist in the growth of crops.
2. A lifeline for agriculture in arid regions, enabling crop cultivation where rainfall is insufficient.

A process that threatens ecosystems, food security, and livelihoods worldwide. Land degradation is the decline in the quality and productivity of land due to natural and human-induced factors.

Large, flat-topped landforms with steep sides, formed by the erosion of softer rock layers beneath a harder caprock.

Over-tourism occurs when the number of visitors exceeds a destinations carrying capacity to manage them sustainably, leading to negative impacts on the environment, local communities, and the tourism experience itself.

There are three main types of carrying capacity:

• Physical Carrying Capacity: The measure of absolute space, for example the number of spaces within a car park, number of hotel rooms
• Environmental Carrying Capacity: The level of use that an environment can sustain before long-term environmental damage occurs
• Perceptual Carrying Capacity: The level of crowding that a tourist (or local community) tolerates before deciding the location is too full
  

When livestock graze excessively on vegetation, the soil becomes exposed and vulnerable to erosion.

Cold-climate processes, including freeze-thaw weathering, frost heave and solifluction, that shape exposed ground where freezing occurs seasonally or permanently, typically around or beyond glaciers rather than beneath moving ice.

Ground that remains frozen for two or more consecutive years.

Ice-cored hills that can reach up to 100 meters in height and 1,000 meters in width.

The process where glaciers remove rocks from the ground.

Resilience is the ability of a system, community, or individual to anticipate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from adverse events or disturbances, such as natural disasters, economic shocks, or environmental changes, while maintaining essential functions and structures. It is the ability to absorb externally imposed or internally developed major change without fundamental disruptions to how a system operates.