Syllabus Edition

First teaching 2024

First exams 2026

Climate & Biomes (DP IB Environmental Systems & Societies (ESS): HL): Exam Questions

46 mins12 questions
13 marks

Outline what is meant by the term biome.

22 marks

Insolation is the amount of solar radiation received by given area of land in a given time period. It is one of the main factors governing the distribution of biomes.

State the other two.

35 marks

List the five major classes that all biomes can be grouped into.

42 marks

State two biomes that fall within the 'forest' class of biomes.

52 marks

Complete the following sentence:

Global atmospheric circulation can be described as a worldwide system of winds moving solar heat energy from the _________ to the __________ to reach a balance in temperature.

62 marks

Complete the following sentence:

Air always moves from areas of __________ pressure to areas of __________ pressure and this movement of air generates wind.

73 marks

State three characteristics that are typical of tropical biomes.

1a1 mark

The figure below shows how the dominant vegetation and crop production changes with altitude in the Andes mountain range in South America.

crops-in-andes

Outline how global warming might affect the pattern of natural vegetation shown above.

1b3 marks

Using the figure in part a, discuss how rising temperatures caused by global warming may affect the food production systems of Andean communities living at an altitude of around 2 500 m.

23 marks

Distinguish between the following two biomes: tundra and tropical rainforest.

34 marks

Explain how the atmospheric system influences the distribution of biomes.

17 marks

Explain how the tricellular model of atmospheric circulation influences the climate of different regions.

29 marks

Discuss how climate and atmospheric circulation influence the global distribution of biomes.