Climate Change Flashcards
What has happened during the Quaternary Period?
Gradual overall cooling
What are the cold spikes called in the graph?
glacial periods
What are the warm spikes called in the graph?
interglacial periods
evidence x4 of climate change
- global temperature data
- ice cores drilled out
- tree rings
- paintings and diaries
what is the consequence of climate change?
sea levels rise
social consequences of climate change (x3)
- people have to move out
- people may lose jobs
- damage to property
economic consequences of climate change (x5)
- important world cities affected by flooding
- valuable agricultural land lost
- transport systems damaged
- valuable property/land lost
- lack of tourism - beaches eroded
environmental consequences of climate change (x4)
- fresh water supplies polluted by salty water (salinisation)
- coastal ecosystems damaged
- damage to coral reefs
- harbours become blocked by sediment because of more erosion
human cause of climate change
greenhouse effect
what is carbon dioxide caused by? (x3)
- burning fossil fuels
- deforestation (burning wood)
- industrial processes
what is methane caused by? (x2)
- livestock emissions
2. decay of organic waste
what are nitrous oxides caused by? (x2)
- vehicle exhausts
2. agri + industrial processes
what are natural causes of climate change? (x3)
- changes is earth’s orbit
- volcanic activity
- variations in energy from sun
what is the Milankovitch cycle?
cyclical time periods that relate to the Earth’s orbit around the sun
Name 3 Milankovitch cycles…
- precession
- axial tilt
- eccentricity
what is the precession?
natural wobble of the earth
what is the axial tilt?
the earth’s axis is currently tilted at 23.5 degrees
it moves back and forth between 21.5-24.5
what does a greater degree of the worlds tilt mean?
higher average temperatures
what is eccentricity?
path of the earth around sun
it’s not fixed - changes from being circular to mildly elliptical
what happens when the earth’s orbit is circular?
there is a colder period
what happens when the earth’s orbit is elliptical?
there is a warmer period
how does volcanic activity cause climate change?
fine particles of ash block out sun
what are sunspots
dark areas on sun
what effect do sunspots have
the more sunspots the more heat energy from sun
