Class Notes (1st term)- Landscape and Environment

Question 1

How many years does the temperature fluctuate?

Answer 1

Every 100,000 years

Question 2

What is the Milankovitch Cycles?

Answer 2

These are natural changes to the earths orbit over long periods of time. They occur every 100,000 years

Question 3

What is the Axial Tilt?

Answer 3

The earths poles are tilted at a 23 degree angle so the earths poles are not completely vertical. However, over a period of 40000 years the angle of the tilt changes. This affects the temperature of the earth.

Question 4

What is Eccentricity?

Answer 4

When the orbit of the earth changes over long periods of time. This means that the orbit is more circular, making the earth sightly warmer and sometimes the orbit is more elliptical, making the earth slightly cooler

Question 5

What is Precession

Answer 5

As the earth rotates, it wobbles on its axies. As this happens, the direction the axies faces changes. This affects our seasons, and creates either a greater or smaller difference between summer and winter

Question 6

What are ice cores?

Answer 6

Ice cores are the build up of ice over 800,000 years. Co2 is trapped in this ice, and scientists measure this to find the temperature of 100s and 1000s of years ago

Question 7

What is climate change?

Answer 7

Change in the earths weather, including changes in temperature, wind pattens and rainfall.

Question 8

What is global warming?

Answer 8

The current rise in average temperature of earths air

Question 9

What is the greenhouse effect?

Answer 9

The greenhouse effect is when greenhouse gasses such as water vapour, methane and carbon dioxide to stop heat escaping the earths atmosphere. The greenhouse effect is natural. Without it we will all die

Question 10

How are humans causing climate change?

Answer 10

• Burning fossil fuels
• Poor use of land
• deforestation
• thermal expansion