CLIMATE CHANGE

Question 1

Physical/natural causes of climate change, volcanic activity?

Answer 1

-Violent volcanic eruptions blast huge quantities of ash, gases and liquids into the atmosphere
-Fine particles of ash can block out the Sun leading to a reduction in surface temperatures. This is called a volcanic winter
-Ash can be carried by winds across the globe, transferring these cooling
conditions to many regions
-Ash does not usually stay in the atmosphere for long so is unlikely to have a long term impact on the climate, however sulphur dioxide can lead to longer term cooling

Question 2

Physical/natural causes of climate change, variations in energy from the sun?

Answer 2

• Sunspots on the Sun’s surface do seem to have an impact on the heat energy of the Sun and therefore the climate of the Earth
• Very few sunspots were observed between 1645 and 1715 and this was the coldest period during the Little Ice Age
• Therefore it seems that the more sunspots there are, the more e

Question 3

Human causes of climate change, agriculture?

Answer 3

• Agriculture contributes to approximately 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
• It also produces large volumes of methane due to cattle producing it during digestion and microbes produce it in the decay of organic matter.
• As the population grows, and more food is needed, methane emissions increase

Question 4

Human causes of climate change, deforestation?

Answer 4

• Deforestation is the clearing of forests on a huge scale.
• If deforestation continues at the current rate, the world’s forests could disappear completely.
• During the process of photosynthesis, trees absorb carbon dioxide which reduces the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, however as deforestation increases, less carbon dioxide will be taken in, leaving more in the atmosphere

Question 5

Evidence for climate change, tree rings?

Answer 5

• Every year, the growth of a tree is shown by a single ring
• If the ring is narrow it indicates a cooler drier year, however if it is thicker it means the temperature was warmer and wetter
• These patterns of growth are used to produce tree ring timescales which give accurate climatic information

Question 6

Evidence for climate change, paintings and diaries?

Answer 6

• Historical records such as paintings and diaries can provide additional evidence of climate change
• Ancient cave paintings of animals in France and Spain depict nature as it was between 40,000 and 11,000 years ago, a period of time when the climate changed significantly. The problem with cave paintings is dating accurately when they were drawn
• Diaries and written observations can also provide evidence of climate change although personal accounts can lack objective accuracy
• Much of the evidence of the Little Ice Age comes from diaries and written observations made at the time
• Several paintings at the time of the Little Ice Age captured the winter landscapes including paintings and drawings of ice fairs and markets on the River Thames when it froze