Historical climate change 2

Question 1

Origin of Agriculture

Answer 1

• Ice age environments supported hunters, fishers and gatherers
• This changed early-mid holocene as expansion of wood, caused migration and megafauna become extinct
• Agriculture become more prevalent, increasing population (more hands to work)
• 10ky BP, domistication of wheat

Question 2

Civilisation

Answer 2

• Chatal Huyuk, Anatogolia
• Worlds first city, settled 7500BC. Population for 200 years
• Alluvial clay
• Population of 6000

Question 3

4.2 kiloyear event

Answer 3

• Aeolion dust influx to Oman gulf sediment record showed very abrupt shift to 300 years of extreme aridity
• Drought bad for agriculture
• Akkadia empire collaped

Question 4

Rowan Warm period

Answer 4

• 250BC-400AD
• Date trees and often crops no longer borne fruit or harvest

Question 5

Medieval warm period

Answer 5

• 1100-1200AD
• Most recent preindustrial warm interval of European climate
• Tree rings suggest +1 in temp
• Temperatures lower than present
• Might have allowed Viking colonisation of Greenland?

Question 6

North Atlantic Oscilliation (NAO)

Answer 6

• Linked to european climate
• Negative NAO brings cold, calm and dry winters to Europe
• Positive NAO brings milk, stormy and wet winters

Question 7

Little Ice Age

Answer 7

• 1550-1850AD
• 0.5-1 temp drop
• Frost fairs on the thames 1608-1814
• Crop failure

Question 8

El Nino/La Nina

Answer 8

• Neutral- trade winds across the surface on the tropical pacific ocean, bring moist air and warmer waters toward w pacific and keep central pacific cool
• EN- weak trade winds, warming of s american waters. Westwards transoprtation of warm waters
• LN- Strong trading winds, increased upwelling of cold water off S america and warmer waters off N Austrailia