climate change Flashcards
what was the little ice age
by 1100 Greenland had a population of about 4000 with 200 farms and trade links with Iceland
Around 1350 the little ice age began and the Vikings were forced to leave Greenland as conditions became to harsh.
Farming was impossible and the Viking settlers had to compete with the Inuit for food from hunting.
reason why the extinction of the Megafauna happened
Climate change - as the earth warmed up after the last full ice age (10,000) Megafauna were forced to move to find food which was not plentiful enough to support them .
People- as Megafauna moved they came into contact with humans who hunted them and further reduced their numbers
Natural events causing climate change. The sunspot theory.
sunspot are dark area on the surface of the sun. The more spots their are the more solar energy is being given out .
During the little ice age there were very few sunspots and as the earth has got warmer more sunspots have been recorded.
Natural events causing climate change. The eruption theory.
during major volcanic eruptions gas and ash can spread around the earth and block out sunlight . This cools the planet and lowers the temperature.
When MT Pinatubo erupted in 1991 its released huge quantities of volcanic dust which blocked out the sun and reduced global sunlight by 10%. This cooled global temperatures by up to 1degree for a year.
Natural events causing climate change. the orbital theory.
1st It takes 100,000 years for the earths orbit to change from being more circular , to an ellipse, and back again.
2nd It takes 41,000 years for the earths axis to tilt , straighten up , and tilt back again
3rd It takes 26,00 years for the earths axis to wobble, straighten up , and wobble again.
why is it difficult to accurately predict future temperature
it is difficult to accurately predict future temperature rises as the four factors on the graph can change. if we continue as we are then the high prediction is most likely . However if population , recycling , renewable energy or economic growth play a part it could come out differently.
CASE STUDY: Impacts of climate change on developed and developing countries.
DEVELOPED the UK ENVIRONMENTAL impacts - changes to fish species in the sea as temperature rises e.g. cod moving moving north out of the north sea. New bird and animal species migrate to the UK while other will disappear. Increased storminess means more erosion on coasts like Holderness.
ECONOMIC impacts-Costs to the NHS of health problems caused by frequent heat waves like summer 2003 .
UNDEVELOPED-Bangladesh- ENVIROMENTAL impacts-Rising sea levels erode the country’s vital coastal mangrove swamps. Northwest Bangladesh could become more prone to drought .
ECONOMIC impacts- 10% of the land could be lost to rising sea levels , leaving people landless and short of food ; 10% of people live less than 1 m above sea level
where are maritime climates usually found and what do they bring?
Maritime climates are found close to the sea. Most air moving in from the sea cools the summer months and warms the winter months , bringing rain all year around.
where are continental climates usually found and what do they bring?
Continental climates occur far from the sea in the middle of the continents . the climate is drier , with hotter summers and colder winters.
what is the north Atlantic drift ?
the north Atlantic is a warm ocean current that brings higher temperatures to the west of the UK . the north Atlantic drift starts its journey in the gulf of Mexico
where is the polar maritime from and what does it bring?
It comes from Greenland and the artic sea.
wet, cold air brings cold, showery weather.
where is the artic maritime air mass and what does it bring?
it comes from Artic and wet cold air brings snow in winter
where is the tropical maritime air mass from and what does it bring?
It comes from the Atlantic and it brings warmth , moist air brings cloud rain and mid weather.
where are the polar continental air mass from and what does it bring?
It comes from central Europe and hot air brings dry summers , cold air brings snow in winter.
where are the tropical continental air mass are from and what do they bring?
They are found in north Africa and hot dry air brings hot weather in the summer.
