Climate Change

Question 1

What is climate change?

Answer 1

large-scale, long-term shift in the planet’s weather patterns or average temperature

Question 2

What is the quaternary period and what has global temperature been like in this time?

Answer 2

last 2.6 million years
temperature always fluctuate, cold ‘spikes’ are glacial periods and warm points are interglacial periods

Question 3

What are 4 pieces of evidence for climate change?

Answer 3

Geological fossil evidence
Ocean sediment
Ice cores
Historical records

Question 4

What are 3 recent pieces of evidence for climate change?

Answer 4

global temperature data
ice sheets and glaciers
sea level change

Question 5

What is the natural greenhouse effect?

Answer 5

greenhouse gases trap sun’s radiation from being reflected back into the atmosphere

Question 6

What is the enhanced greenhouse effect?

Answer 6

the burning of fossil fuels and production of greenhouse gases is causing more radiation to be trapped, making the earth warmer

Question 7

What are 3 pieces of evidence for natural climate change?

Answer 7

Milankovitch Cycle
Sun spots (increased radiation to earth)
Volcanic eruptions

Question 8

What is the Milankovitch cycle?

Answer 8

Milankovitch argued that climate change was linked to the way the Earth orbits the Sun. The cycle is how the climate cyclically changes due to Earth’s orbit

Question 9

What are the 3 main ideas (to do with the earth’s position) that are though to change climate?

Answer 9

Eccentricity - changes in the shape of the Earth’s orbit
Obliquity - changes in how the Earth tilts on its axis
Precession - the amount the Earth wobbles on its axis

Question 10

What is the link between CO2 and global temperatures?

Answer 10

the correlation between the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and the global temperatures is strong positive.

Question 11

What are some greenhouse gases?

Answer 11

carbon dioxide
methane
water vapour
halocarbons
nitrous oxide

Question 12

What are 3 global impacts of climate change?

Answer 12

extreme weather
Rising sea levels
Food and water supply
Plants and animal extinction
Disease and health
Climate refugees

Question 13

What are some negative impacts of climate change in the UK?

Answer 13

coastal flooding
extreme rainfall
water shortages
extreme heat

Question 14

What are some positive impacts of climate change for the UK?

Answer 14

Tourism (increase temp means more people likely to take holiday)
environment (new wildlife may be drawn to the UK)
Farming (agriculture may increase in warmer conditions)
Industry (heating costs will all, new sea defences perhaps)

Question 15

How will UK’s climate change?

Answer 15

increase in avg. temp.
have warmer, wetter winters
have warmer, drier summers

Question 16

How is geological fossil proof for climate change?

Answer 16

plants and animal fossils/remains, which favour certain conditions have been found in contradictory conditions

Question 17

How is ocean sediment proof for climate change?

Answer 17

layers of sediment in ocean have trapped oxygen isotopes which scientists can use to calculate atmospheric temperature change

Question 18

How are ice cores proof for climate change?

Answer 18

made from layers each representing a different historical time. By studying the water molecules of different layers scientists can calculate temperature fluctuations

Question 19

how are historical records evidence for climate change

Answer 19

ancient cave paintings, diaries and written observations