1. Natural Processes of Variations in Climate Flashcards
What is the difference between weather and climate?
Weather = day-to-day changes in the atmosphere
Climate = description of the system that generates weather
What is the greenhouse effect?
The greenhouse effect is a natural process that warms the Earth’s surface, allowing life to exist.
What does climate variation mean?
variations in the composition of the Earth’s
atmosphere
How does the supercontinent affect climate?
→ changing rates of volcanic emissions and weathering
→ changing positions of continents (creating icehouses and greenhouse climates)
What is a timescale?
Hundreds of millions of years (varies but approx 440 million years long)
What is the Icehouse climate?
low CO2
levels, cold climate, continental glaciations and cold inland deserts
What is the Greenhouse climate?
high CO2
levels, warm climate, small or non-existent ice sheets
What are the Deccan Traps?
one of the largest volcanic provinces in the world
Where are the Deccan Traps?
West-India
What are the Siberian Traps?
massive flood basalt plain (volcanoes covering approximately
2,000,000 km2)
