Climate and environmental change Flashcards
what 6 things are basic human needs for survival
- oxygen
- water
- food
- shelter
- clothing
- sanitation
what of the six basic human needs for survival are DIRECTLY threatened by climatic change
- water
- food
- sanitation
do human needs show the BEST connection to climate change and nature
NO - animals do nature decides what lives or dies
climate change
significant and long-lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over time
how can climate change be changed
- change in average weather condition
- distribution of events around that average
what kind of term is climate change
umbrella term
what does climate change encompass
- global warming = average temp warming
- paleoclimatology = study of past climates
- geological temp record/natural climate variability = long term changes
can climate change be natural
YES
weather vs climate
weather = observations in meteorological phenomena day to day (short term)
climate = observations in meteorological phenomena over long period of time
climate or weather forms an average
climate
climatology
study of climate
what is studied in climatology (specifics)
- climatic pattern
- consistent behaviour of weather
does climatology include effects of climate change on human society and culture
YES
is climate static
NO - dynamic (evolves)
how does climate show its static
it varies over time (temporal) and from one place to another (spatial)
how else can climate vary
- natural phenomena
- anthropogenic forcings
natural phenomena is a _______ (dominant short or long term) variation in climate
dominant long term
anthropogenic forcing is a _______ (dominant short or long term) variation in climate
dominant short-term
3 general categories of evidence to reconstruct the past climates
- meteorological/instrumental records
- historical records
- physical and biological records (paleoclimatology)
what general categories of evidence for past climates is this
was highly placed around large pops of people
meteorological/instrumental records
what general categories of evidence for past climates is this
the most accurate reading despite being limited and having huge gaps
meteorological/instrumental records
what general categories of evidence for past climates is this
things that have happened in the past (culture/food, art,literature)
historical records
what general categories of evidence for past climates is this
diatoms and other creatures have certain conditions that indicate they are thriving and others they don’t
physical/biological records
is time constant
nO
what influences time
the mass of an object or its velocity (time dilation)
time
indefinite continuous process of existence and events in the past, present and future regarded as a whole
time needs a ____ in order to have an easier time understanding
reference point
what makes time scales meaningful
reference points
are time scales overly meaningful to science without a reference point
NO
what is our reference point
the age of the earth and its beginning
geologic timescale
breaks down time into meaningful time periods
what caused extinctions in the past
natural or punctuated events that lead to CLIMATIC changes