Australia has an extreme climate characterized by high temperatures and irregular rainfall. Flora and fauna have adapted through traits like drought tolerance, succulence, burrowing, and nocturnal activity. Aboriginal people adapted through building techniques, water management, and clothing. The climate poses challenges for agriculture, transportation, and energy, which people address through desalination, bushfire management, solar power, and irrigation. Global strategies aim to tackle threats like water insecurity, climate change, and land degradation through frameworks, conventions, and international cooperation.

1. Extreme Climates Case
Study Cards
Homework – due 31st May

2. Why is Australia an Extreme Climate?
Australia is located in the South East of the world
map. Its neighbouring countries are New Zealand
and it is surrounded by the Indian and Pacific ocean.
The average temperature in australia is
much hotter than the UK. Australia's
temperature reaches its highest in
Australia's rainfall pattern is very
November,December, January and
irregular. In july,August and
February which is there summer
september there is no rainfall. The
months. Its coldest month is July with
most amount of rainfall per month
temperatures of 23 on average. On the
is 150mm in February The rainfall
other hand in the Uk the hottest
pattern is more regular in the UK .
temperatures occur in June and july and
The most rainfall it receives is
the coldest in December and January.
100mm in November..
Australia has an extreme
climate because it is very hot
and doesn’t receive much
precipitation. Parts of
Australia are also dry
because of continentality.
Continentality is the distance
the land is from the sea
which means the further
away the land is the less
water it receives

3. How has fauna and flora adapted to an Extreme Climate?
How has flora adapted? How has fauna adapted?
Succulence Kangaroos
• Can quickly absorb lots of water, • Feeds during dawn and dusk
they can store this water for when it is cooler
long periods of time. • Survives by hopping which is
• Their stems and leaves have energy efficient
waxy surface layers. • Rain triggers a hormonal
• Metabolism slows down during response in female-breeding
a drought. only occurs in rain
• Spines are toxic so are not
attractive to animals. The Bilby
• It burrows for cooler conditions.
Drought tolerance • It has low moisture needs,
• During drought, plants of this obtaining enough from food.
type shed leaves to prevent • It is nocturnal, sheltering from
water loss through transpiration daytime heat.
• The plants have deep roots to
get water. The Perentie
• They photosynthesise with low . It hibernates from May to August
leaf moisture levels. to avoid the cold.
It has low moisture needs.
Drought avoidance Digs burrows or hides to escape
• Their seeds last for years, and desert heat. It emerges from thease
germinate only when soil to hunt.
moisture is high.
• Some germinate during autumn,
after rain and before winter.

4. How have aborigines
What problems to people face
How have aborigines adapted to living in this
extreme climate?
-Water pumps to provide local The problems people face with Australia is very hot and dry
source of water. transport is there is not many roads in the meaning that the extreme climate is
-Build wells to collect deep down water, desert and it is a vast landscape.Camels can difficult for agriculture. However there is
which can be aquified so clean. be used because they are cheap and are lots of heat which is good growing
-Water tanks are built as a supply. effective for walking on the desert terrain. conditions for flora. There is also light
-Trains and helicopters are fast and energy
and space to grow crops.
efficient. They can transport people fast and
are reliable.
Houses are built with thick walls for Solar panels is one energy use. Most clothing is white because it
insulation during the cold nights. Some There is lots of sun so it it used to heat reflects heat which keeps the body cold.
houses are built underground to escape the water and generate electricity efficiently and Clothing is loose fitting to keep people
heat. Small windows and doors to escape sustainably. Another method is wind cool, however it may cover the whole
the heat. White walls to reflect daytime heat. turbines, which are also a sustainable body to avoid sunburn. Hats are also
Flat roofs to collect rainwater which is a energy form however they are very
worn to protect the head.
fresh clean source of water. expensive and not very reliable.

5. Threats of tourism on Australia
Threats to the Australian
-Sacred sights may be damaged from
tourism. environment
-Ancient rituals are often performed for
tourists, some people believe this is
exploitation
-Art is exploited, paintings are produced
to suit tourists taste rather then express The threat from climate change
their culture. This is cultural dilution.
-Tour guides ignore ‘awkward’ aboriginal Environmental
history, like when children were taken • Australian landscape could change as native
away from their parents until the 1970’s. plants die.
-Many traditional languages can be • winter crops failed in western australia, not
replaced by english to communicate with enough rain.
tourists. • Rainfall totals estimated to drop 20-40% by
2070.
• 14% of bird species and 25% of all
mammals could become extinct by 2100
• Farmers in Victoria demand subsides to
help drought.
Social
• water restrictions in Melbourne and Sydney
• Irrigation water reduced so more water for
Adelaide.
• Farmers incomes could fall low by 2030
Economic
• In 2002 drought dragged exports down by A$
1 billion
• severe water shortages in mid Queensland.

6. Managing life in the
Management How does it work? Advantages Disadvantages
Scheme
Desalination New water resource. New Continuous water, supporting Climate change causes drought
technology which converts the future. It supplies 1.5 (2002 worse drought occurred)
water into drinking water million households of water. water restrictions and negative
impacts on marine life
Bushfire Bush Fires are part of an Arid Controls fires by thinning Bush fires cause huge
eco-system but they cause vegetation. Natural so will not amounts of damage to
Management damage. Fire management affect the environment property and people. Disrupts
doesn’t stop fires just controls unnaturally. movement of small animals.
them.
Recycled water Produced from treated waste Supply of recycled water is Can’t be delivered through
water which is normally reliable and much less affectedstandard water pumps.
discharged into sea.Valuable by drought. Reliable source forFiltering can be very
resource agriculture and industry expensive. Affects pH levels
and wildlife.
Ecotourism Allows tourism to occur on a
sustainable level without causing
It creates jobs locally. Local Less revenue which means it
traditions are sustained. can be unpopular with local
damage to natural environment. Educates people and areas and businesses. Less jobs created
Protects traditional cultures buildings are protected. on a local scale.
through education.
Solar Power Trying to reduce greenhouse Generates clean electricity to It costs lots of money and
gas emissions. Plan to build meet needs of 45,000 homes. takes a long time to install.
the worlds biggest solar power Reduce greenhouse gases so Taking criticisms of its
station. $5000 million. reduces climate change. environment politics by other
countries.
Irrigation Artificially watering the Reduces effect of climate If the land is overwatered it
landscape in order to grow change in thease areas. Makes creates damage-soil erosion.
crops and to improve soil water sustainable. Improves Loss of native species. Vital
quantity. For example South soil quality and can grow water if from a sustainable
Australia. crops. source.

7. Managing life in the outback –
global strategies
What is the Global Action – What is it? How does it aim Advantages Disadvantages
threat? to tackle the threat?
Water ‘Water for life’ decade:
insecurity
UN Water
Water Scarcity
Climate United Nations frameworks Conventions on Climate
Change (UNFCCC):
Change
Kyoto Protocol
Copenhagen
Land United Nations Convention on Desertification:
degradation
International Year of Deserts and Desertification