Climate change Flashcards
Long term causes of climate change
Milankovitch cycles
Tectonic plate (ocean currents)
Milankovitch cycles
100,000 year orbit
41,000 year tilt
21,000 year wobble
Short term causes of climate change
Volcanic emissions (sulfur dioxide)
Variation in solar output
What are polar glacial environments
Found in high latitudes e.g Artic
They have low precip and extreme cold temp
What are Alpine glacial environments
Found at high altitudes in mountain ranges e.g Alps
They have high levels of precip, wide temp range
What is a glacier
Slow moving bodies of ice in valleys
What is a peri glacial environment
Doesn’t feature glaciers, usually found next to a glacier characterised with permafrost with varying seasonal temperatures
Characteristics of a polar glacier
Polar environments e.g Antartica
Cold based glacier
Frozen to bedrock with melting only occurring at surface in summer
Characteristics of temperate glacier
Alpine environments e.g Alps
Warm based glacier
Ice temp usually close to 0
More melting