Earth's Climate Flashcards
What does mitigation mean?
to reduce
What is Pangea?
A super continent
What is Pangea?
A super continent
What is a warm period called?
Inter glacials
What is a cold period called?
Glacials
Give any evidence we have to know that the climate is changing.
Tree rings- the wider the tree ring, the wetter or hotter the weather/ climate.
Ice cores- we know the climate from years ago by taking a piece of ice which has trapped air bubbles from years ago containing different gases like: methane, oxygen, carbon dioxide..
Historical Evidence- glaciers, artefacts, paintings, diaries, photos…
What will having more sunspots mean?
the global temperature will rise
how many years are there between sunspot cycles?
11
How does a volcanic even affect global temperature?
it lowers it
how many cycles did Milankovitch disover?
3
How long does it take the Earth to go from a circular orbit to an elliptical orbit?
100,000 years
What causes Climate change?
- changes in the way the earth moves around the sun
- changes in the sun’s temperature
- volcanic activity
- asteroids
what is a volcanic winter?
the cooling of the lower atmosphere and reduction of surface temperatures
How can asteroids cause climate change?
if an asteroid hits earth it will eject large volumes of dust into the atmosphere, blocking solar radiation.
What do sunspots entail?
it means that the sun is more active than before
How long does it take for the earths axis to tilt, straighten up, and tilt back again?
41,000
How long does it take for the earths axis to wobble, straighten up, and wobble again?
26,000 years
How can volcanoes cause climate change?
volcanic ash can block out the sun, reducing temperatures on the earth. This is a short term impact.
What is the greenhouse effect?
it is the way that the gases in the atmosphere trap heat from the sun.
Name some greenhouse gases
Nitrogen
oxygen
carbon dioxide
water vapour
Why is carbon dioxide the most important greenhouse gas?
It helps to regulate the temperature in our Earth
True or False? Greenhouse effect is a natural process
True
Why is the greenhouse effect important?
Without it there would be no life on earth
What is the enhanced greenhouse effect and is it bad or good?
It is caused by humans and is not good.
How is enhanced greenhouse effect caused?
land change
transport: cars, plains, trains
Energy supply
Industry
How do we know that humans are the cause of enhanced greenhouse effect?
The temperature has changed rapidly. Temperatures have been warming up at the same time as CO2 emissions have been increasing.
How is arctic ice being affected by the enhanced greenhouse effect?
We are loosing huge amounts of sea ice each year as the temperature is rising. Sea ice is melting faster than land ice.
How is the sea level being affected by the enhanced greenhouse effect?
The sea level has been increasing. It has risen by about 20cm since 1900. The sea gets warmer because of thermal expansion- as water gets warmer it expands.
Does sea ice increase sea level?
No, land ice will increase the sea level, as will thermal expansion.
What are the problems when predicting the future?
What the world’s population will be
whether fossil fuels will continue to be used, or whether there will be a shift to cleaner energies like wind or solar
If people will change their lifestyles and recycle more, or use public transport.
What are the problems when predicting the future?
What the world’s population will be.
whether fossil fuels will continue to be used, or whether there will be a shift to cleaner energies like wind or solar.
If people will change their lifestyles and recycle more, or use public transport.
How much would the loos of Greenland’s ice sheet raise the sea level by?
7 metres
How much would the Antarctic ice sheets add to the sea level if they melted?
13 metres
Why would sea level rises be higher in some places than others?
It is because of prevailing winds and currents and also where the land is also sinking.
What does IPCC mean and what do they do?
Intergovernmental, panel on, climate, change
they are a group of scientists who are independent.
