Global warming Flashcards
What are the causes of global warming?
Burning things e.g. fossil fuels, deforestation, pollution, animals like cows fart methane. Methane escapes from swamps, paddy fields and landfill sites.
How will the world be affected by global warming?
The UK will get flooding and storm surges. The ice caps will melt and it will be harder to grow crops due to salinisation (saltier water).
What are the responses to global warming?
Tree planting, carbon capture and storage and green energy such as hydro electricity, solar, wind and tide.
What are ice cores and what do they tell us about global warming?
They come from a glacier and can tell us about ocean temperature and volume, rainfall, CO2 levels and sea surface productivity
What do tree rings and tell us about global warming?
Dendrochronology is the study of climate change through tree rings. A wide tree ring means a wet season and a thin ring means a dry season. They also record temperature and cloud cover.
What do coral rings tell us about global temperature?
They are similar to tree rings and they are recorded by calcium carbonate levels. They can record the amount of light and ocean temperature.
What is the greenhouse effect?
The sun warms up the Earth by sending sunlight into the atmosphere. Some of the heat escapes the inner atmosphere but some is absorbed by greenhouse gases. This makes the air warmer and average temperatures rise.
What are the greenhouse gases and where do they come from?
Cows and landfills produce methane. The Sun heats up water to make water vapour. Nitrogen dioxide comes from lightning and car exhausts. Sulphur dioxide comes from smelting mineral ores that contain sulphur and erupting volcanoes. Carbon dioxide is made by burning fossil fuels and ocean release or decomposition.
What places are affected by global warming?
Hurricane seasons in America are becoming longer and more severe. River levels are lowering in Peru because the glaciers that feed the rivers are melting. In Africa, it is harder to determine when to grow crops because of changing weather patterns.
