Climate Flashcards
Weather
short term atmospheric conditions at a
particular time and place
Climate
AVERAGE weather conditions for an area over a long period of time
Short term scale
refers to a change over several hundred to a few thousand years
proxy data
a substitute for direct measurements found in physical
characteristics of the environment
short term scale measurement
-tree rings
-A pair of dark/light rings = 1 year
-Wider rings = favorable growing conditions
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Other factors that can affect tree growth (6)
-changes in CO2
-crowding trees
- insect and disease infestation
-lightning
-erosion
-forest fires
Long term scale
refers to a change over a longer time scale
tens - to hundreds - of thousands of years
long term scale measurment
glacial ice
read glacial ice
look at notes
Earth’s atmosphere is mostly made up of
nitrogen and oxygen
Greenhouse gases do what
trap the sun’s heat, warming the earth and make it habitable
biggest driver of human induced climate change
burning fossil fuels like oil and coal
carbon sink
a system that absorbs more CO2 than it releases (storing it)
Sources
processes or regions that add CO2 to the atmosphere
Global temperature rising
with higher temps, the atmosphere can hold more moisture meaning more frequent extreme weather
events
