Climate change

Question 1

Climate change

Answer 1

A significant change in weather over a long period of time including natural and anthropogenic causes

Question 2

Global warming

Answer 2

A type of climate change where there is a rapid increase in global temperature

Question 3

Limits for temperature records

Answer 3

Temperature not recorded in all places
Equipment in past not as accurate
Temperature fluctuates by season
Anomalies from events such as volcano eruption or large fire

Question 4

Evidence for global warming

Answer 4

General trend over last century is an increase in 1 degrees C

Question 5

What to look out for when analysing data

Answer 5

Location
Date/period of time
Similar correlations in different locations

Question 6

Dendochronology evidence of climate change

Answer 6

New xylem vessels form each year under bark via mitosis
Size of tree ring reflects growth of the tree that year
Higher temp and more rainfall means that tree rings will be thicker

Question 7

Pollen in peat bogs evidence of climate change

Answer 7

Pollen has tough outer coating so is preserved in peat bogs, and can be used to determine what plants produced pollen and how much pollen they produced
In warm climates more pollen it produced
Pollen in peat bogs is preserved in anaerobic conditions
Depth of peat bogs determines the time at which the pollen was produced

Question 8

Ice cores evidence for climate change

Answer 8

Oxygen is trapped in ice, as In cold periods there is less of Oxygen 18 isotope compared to 16 isotope
Melt layers with no air represent warmer periods
Beryllium 10 can be analyses to find the strength of solar radiation and trapped co2 and methane

Question 9

How is more Co2 being released

Answer 9

Concentration increasing from burning more fossil fuels
Destruction of natural sinks such as burning down trees
Decomposers respiring

Question 10

How is methane concentrations increasing

Answer 10

More decaying waste
More cattle giving it off as a waste product
Released from natural stores such as permafrost

Question 11

Importance of greenhouse gas effect

Answer 11

To maintain temp needed for life with enzymes not denaturing and having enough kinetic energy

Question 12

Greenhouse gases

Answer 12

CO2, water vapour and methane

Question 13

How do greenhouse gases work

Answer 13

They trap IR radiation which is reradiated from the earth in the upper atmosphere leading to an increase in the mean earth surface temperature

Question 14

Natural causes of global warming

Answer 14

Axil tilt
Orbital changes
Sun’s brightness
Cosmic rays and water vapour

Question 15

Extrapolate

Answer 15

Extend the line of best fit to predict the future

Question 16

Issues with modelling global warming

Answer 16

Past evidence not good indicator of future events
Scientists can be bias
Predictions may be wrong due to limited data, other factors such as rise in sea levels

Question 17

How does global warming affect enzyme activity

Answer 17

Enzyme molecules vibrate more, breaking bonds so active site changes and substrate no longer fits
Enzyme dentures

Question 18

Affect of global warming on organism growth

Answer 18

Increase in temp will make metabolic reactions speed up and cause them to grow faster and progress through their life cycle faster

Question 19

Too high temps for metabolic activity

Answer 19

Metabolic reactions will slow down and rate of growth decreases

Question 20

Affect on distribution of species

Answer 20

Species will have to move to other areas where the temp is best suited for them
If they cannot move then they will die out in that area

Question 21

Affect of climate change on plants

Answer 21

Increase in temp increases rate of photosynthesis up until an optimum temp

Question 22

Changing rainfall patterns affecting species

Answer 22

Affect life cycles of some organisms so distribution of species changes

Question 23

Seasonal cycle changes affecting species

Answer 23

Affect development and life cycles and distribution of species