General

Question 1

How long ago did the Quaternary begin?

Answer 1

2.6 million years

Question 2

What are the three different types of cold environment?

Answer 2

Alpine, Polar, Periglacial

Question 3

What is permafrost?

Answer 3

Soil and rock ground which is permanently frozen for two consecutive summers.

Question 4

What is the latitude of the Arctic?

Answer 4

66 degrees, 30 degrees N

Question 5

What is the area of Antarctica in km squared?

Answer 5

13,829,430

Question 6

What percentage of the world do cold environments cover today?

Answer 6

25%

Question 7

Average Antarctic summer temperature?

Answer 7

-27.5 degrees centigrade

Question 8

Average Antarctic winter temperature?

Answer 8

-60 degrees centigrade

Question 9

What was lowest temperature recorded on Earth in Antarctica by Vostok station?

Answer 9

-89.2 degrees centigrade

Question 10

By how much would the world’s oceans rise should Antarctica’s ice sheets totally melt?

Answer 10

60-65m everywhere

Question 11

What superlatives does the continent of Antarctica own?

Answer 11

Highest, driest, coldest and windiest on Earth

Question 12

Lowest temperature recorded in the Arctic?

Answer 12

-68 degrees centigrade

Question 13

How long ago was the majority of the UK covered in ice?

Answer 13

18,000 years

Question 14

What are causes of long term climate change?

Answer 14

Milankovitch Cycles, sunspots, volcanic eruptions and plate tectonics

Question 15

How often does Earth’s orbit change from circular to elliptical?

Answer 15

Every 100,000 years

Question 16

How often does Earth’s axis tilt and what does it change?

Answer 16

Every 41,000 years and seasonality of Earth’s climate

Question 17

How often does the Earth wobble on its axis which changes when Earth is closest to the sun?

Answer 17

Every 22,000 years

Question 18

How long is the sunspot cycle?

Answer 18

11 years

Question 19

What events do sunspots possibly explain?

Answer 19

The Little Ice Age and the Medieval Warm Period more intensively

Question 20

How does volcanic activity alter global climate?

Answer 20

Thick ash clouds reduce the amount of sunlight received at the Earth’s surface

Question 21

What volcanic event led to ‘the year without summer’?

Answer 21

The eruption of Tambora in 1816

Question 22

For every 1000m of height gained, temperature falls by how much?

Answer 22

6.4 degrees centigrade

Question 23

What is environmental lapse rate?

Answer 23

Every 1000m of height gained, the temperature drops by 6.4 degrees centigrade

Question 24

Examples of high altitude areas?

Answer 24

Andes, Himalayas, Alps, Mt Kilimanjaro

Question 25

Why are coastal areas warmer in winter and cooler in summer?

Answer 25

Continentality, because ground heat is released very quickly, but heat in water is released much slower

Question 26

What are climatic causes of cold environments?

Answer 26

Latitude, ocean currents, altitude, continentality, albedo, global warming

Question 27

What are polar anticyclones?

Answer 27

When dense cold air sinks, with relatively clear skies which promotes heat loss from the ground lowering temperatures further

Question 28

How high is Mount Kilimanjaro?

Answer 28

5895m

Question 29

By how much did global ice sheets receded between 2001 and 2005?

Answer 29

7.5km

Question 30

In how many years may the Arctic be ice-free according to a Guardian Article?

Answer 30

30 years (10% per decade)