Climate Change Flashcards
What’s it called when humans change Eons
The golden spike
What’s the Anthropocene eon?
A new unit of Earths History in which humans have become a dominant force and have changed the characteristics of our planet.
What eon is it?The Holocene or the Anthropocene?
There is a large debate on which eon we are in and it’s a 50-50
How long is an eon?
Can last billions of years
How long are eras?
Can last hundreds of millions of years
How long are periods?
Can last tens of millions of years
How long are epochs?
Can last millions or tens of millions of years
What is the order of the time periods?(Shortest to longest)
Eons->Eras->Periods->Epochs
When did carbon emissions start to increase?
1800’s
What’s the Green house effect?
Shortwave radiation-sun passes through the Earth’s atmosphere
Some of this infrared radiation absorbed by greenhouse gases and stays in the atmosphere
Greenhouse gases occurs naturally in the atmosphere and the greenhouse effect is a natural part of our climate system.
The Earth’s surface heats up and emits longwave radiation
Some of this infrared radiation escapes into space, helping the Earth cool down.
What’s the enhanced green house effect?
The Earth’s surface heats up and emits longwave radiation
Human activity (burning fossil fuels) increases the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, thickening the blanket.
More of the outgoing infrared radiation is absorbed by greenhouse gases and is trapped in the atmosphere
Shortwave radiation (visible and ultraviolet light) from the sun passes through the Earth’s atmosphere
Because more energy now enters the Earth’s atmosphere than leaves it, the planet heats up.
Less of the outgoing infrared radiation escapes into space
What are the main green house gases?
Carbon dioxide->Burning fossil fuels to power transport
Fluoro-gases->manmade gases used in air conditioning
Methane-melting permafrost
Nitrous Oxide-burning fossil fuels
What’s a positive correlation on a graph?
As one variable increases so does the other.
What’s a negative correlation on a graph?
As one variable increases the other decreases
