Natural Climate Change Flashcards
The Earth’s Climate is Always ____________.
Changing.
The ______________ Period is the most Recent Geological Time Period, Spanning from about 2.6 Million Years Ago to the Present Day.
Quaternary.
In the Period Before the ______________, the Earth’s Climate was __________ and Quite Stable.
Quaternary…Warmer…
During the Quaternary, _________ Temperature has Shifted between ______ Glacial Periods that last for around 100,000 Years, and ___________ Interglacial Periods that Last for 10,000 Years.
Global…Cold…Warmer…
The Last Glacial Period _________ around 15,000 Years Ago. Since then, the Climate has been ___________.
Ended…Warming…
What are the Four Natural Causes of Climate Change?
- Orbital Changes.
- Volcanic Activity.
- Solar Output.
- Asteroid Collisions.
Orbital Changes are ______________ in the way the Earth moves round the Sun.
Variations.
The Stretch (known as ________________) is where the Path of the Earth’s Orbit around the Sun changes from an almost Perfect Circle to an ___________ and back again every ________ Years.
Eccentricity…Ellipse…96,000…
The Tilt is the where the Earth’s Axis is __________ at an Angle as it _________ the Sun. This Tilt Changes over a Cycle of about _________ Years.
Tilted…Orbits…41,000…
The Wobble (also called the ______________) is where the Axis of the Earth ___________ like a Spinning Top on a Cycle of about __________ Years.
Precession…Wobbles…22,000…
The Orbital Change Cycles affect the Amount of Solar ____________ (Energy) the Earth receives. If the Earth receives more Energy, it gets __________.
Radiation…Warmer…
Orbital Changes may have caused the Glacial and Interglacial __________ of the _______________ Period.
Cycles…Quaternary…
Major Volcanic Activities Eject Large Quantities of Material (____) into the _______________. Some of these Particles ___________ the Sun’s Rays back out to Space, so the Earth’s Surface _______.
Ash…Atmosphere…Reflects…Cools…
Volcanic Activity may cause Short-Term Changes in the __________ (the Eruption in Indonesia in 1815 caused a ‘Year Without ___________’ the following Year).
Climate…Summer…
The Sun’s Output of Energy isn’t ____________ - it Changes in Short Cycles of about ____ Years.
Constant…11…
Periods when Solar Output is _____________ may cause the Earth’s Climate to become ___________.
Reduced…Cooler…
The Maunder Minimum was a Period of Reduced ________ Activity between 1645 and 1715 which Coincided with the Little Ice Age.
Solar.
Asteroids Hitting the Earth’s Surface can Throw Up Huge Amounts of _______ into the ______________ - these Particles Prevent the Sun’s Energy from Reaching the Earth’s Surface so Global Temperatures _____.
Dust…Atmosphere…Fall…
Some Scientists Believe that an Asteroid Collision caused a Period of Global __________ around ________ Years Ago.
Cooling…12000…
What are the Three Different Ways in which Scientists can Work Out how the Climate has Changed over Time?
- Tree Rings.
- Ice Cores.
- Historical Records.
Most Trees Produce _____ Ring within their Trunks every ______. The Thickness of the Ring Depends on the __________ when the Ring was Formed. Scientists take Cores through Tree Trunks then Date each ______ by Counting them.
One…Year…Climate…Ring…
Ice Sheets are made up of Layers of _____ - One Layer is Formed each ______. Scientists Drill into Ice Sheets to get Long _______ of Ice. By Analysing the ______ Trapped in the Layers of Ice, they can tell what the Temperature was each Year.
Ice…Year…Cores…Gases…
Historical Records (Diaries and Paintings) can Extend a Record of __________ Change Back. Historical Diaries can Show what the Climate was like in the ______. Paintings of Fairs and Markets on Frozen Rivers Show that __________ in Europe were Regularly much Colder 500 Years Ago than Now.
Climate…Past…Winters…
Which Two Sources have been Used to Reconstruct the UK’s Past Climate?
- Medieval Warm Period.
- Little Ice Age.
