Hazardous Earth - Climate - natural causes of global climate change

Question 1

What are the 4 main natural causes of climate change?

Answer 1

Milankovitch Cycles
Eccentricity
Axial Tilt
Precession

Question 2

What are the Milankovitch Cycles?

Answer 2

These are natural changes to the earths orbit and position that affect how much radiation we recieve from the sun.

Question 3

What is Eccentricity?

Answer 3

When the orbit of the earth changes shape over long periods of time, aproximently every 100,000 years

Question 4

What is Axial Tilt?

Answer 4

When the angle of the tilt that the earth sits on changes to make it tilt futher/closer to the sun

Question 5

What is Precession?

Answer 5

When the earth ‘wobbles’ on its axles and changes the directon the axis is facing

Question 6

Does the earth get WARMER or COOLER if the earths orbits around the sun is more circular

Answer 6

slightly warmer

Question 7

Name three other things that can effect global climate change

Answer 7

1. Solar variation- - amount of radiation the sun provides varies. Low solar activity = glacial periods/higher activity = intergracial periods
   2 .Volcanism - volcanic material can partially block out solar radiation=reduced global temperatures (cooler)
   3 Surface Impact- asteroids, comets can impact the earths surface which ejects dust into the atmosphere = partially blocks solar radiation (glacial periods)

Question 8

LOOK AT THE GRAPH ON PAGE 16 Of TEXT - would you agree or disagree that the Earth appears to have regular cycles of warmer and cooler surface temperatures. Provide evidence from the graph

Answer 8

SEE GRAPH