chapter 14

Question 1

What is climate?

Answer 1

Climate is the long-term average weather conditions that occur in a particular region.

Question 2

Why is one climate different than another?

Answer 2

Climates are different from one another based on latitude, altitude, the tilt of the Earth, rain shadows, and if the region is near bodies of water.

Question 3

How are climates classified? What are the five types of climate?

Answer 3

Climates are classified based on temperature, precipitation, and their native vegetation. The five types of climates are polar, continental, dry, tropical, and mild.

Question 4

What are long term climate cycles?

Answer 4

Long term climate cycles are when the climate stays the same for millions of years.

Question 5

What are short term cycles? Examples?

Answer 5

Short term cycles are when the climate changes after short periods of time. (usually months)
Examples of a short term climate cycles are the El Nino and monsoons.

Question 6

What are droughts? Heat waves? Cold waves?

Answer 6

A drought is a period with below average precipitation. A heat wave is a large, hot air mass that stays in one place for weeks or months. A cold wave is a large, cold air mass that stays in one place for weeks or months.

Question 7

How have humans impacted climate change?

Answer 7

Humans have impacted climates because of deforestation (cutting down a lot of trees), emissions from cars and factories, and burning fossil fuels (releases aerosols.)

Question 8

What are some impacts of climate change on society?

Answer 8

Some impacts of climate change on society is that temperatures are increasing and decreasing in specific areas. When temperatures are changing, ecosystems are also getting disrupted.

Question 9

How can we predict climate change?

Answer 9

We can predict climate change using global climate models (GCM) which are complex equations used to predict future climates.

Question 10

climate

Answer 10

the long-term average weather conditions that occur in a particular region

Question 11

rain shadow

Answer 11

area of low rainfall on the downwind slope of a mountain

Question 12

specific heat

Answer 12

the amount of thermal energy needed to raise the temperature of 1kg of a material by 1℃

Question 13

microclimate

Answer 13

a localized climate that is different from the climate of the larger area surrounding it

Question 14

ice ages

Answer 14

cold periods lasting millions of years when glaciers cover much of earth

Question 15

interglacials

Answer 15

the warm periods that occur during ice ages

Question 16

El Nino/Southern Oscillation

Answer 16

(also known as the ENSO) the combined ocean and atmospheric cycle that results in weakened trade winds across the Pacific Ocean

Question 17

monsoon

Answer 17

a wind circulation pattern that changes direction with the seasons

Question 18

drought

Answer 18

a period with below average precipitation

Question 19

global warming

Answer 19

the rise in Earth’s average temperature during the past 100 years

Question 20

greenhouse gases

Answer 20

gases in the atmosphere that absorb Earth’s outgoing infrared radiation

Question 21

deforestation

Answer 21

the large scale cutting and/of burning of forests

Question 22

global climate model

Answer 22

(also known as the GCM) a set of complex equations used to predict the future climates