P.1 Section A (2) Flashcards
what is the definition of climate change?
a long-term change in the earth’s climate , especially a change due to
what are the glacial periods?
when ice covered most of Europe and North America
what are the inter-glacial periods?
when the temperature was warmer and the glacial retreat/ shrink
give 4 pieces of evidence for climate change.
The UK’s 10 warmest years have occurred since 1990
- 2018 was the hottest summer on record
- extreme cold events are becoming more severe: Dec 2010 was the coldest month ever
- major flooding event have become more frequent over past 10 years: Dec 2015 was the wettest month —> caused flooding in many areas
give 2 evidence for climate change
Tree ring and ice cores
How are ice cores used as evidence for climate change?
tests air trapped in the ice, higher CO2 = higher temperature
How are tree rings used as evidence for climate change?
Every year trees grows and leaves a ring,
- thicker ring = warmer and wetter climate as it was able to grow
- thin ring = drier and colder climate
what are the 3 natural climate change theories?
1.volcanic activity ( eruption theory)
2. solar activity ( sunspot theory)
3. orbital changes
how does the eruption theory affect the temperature?
When a volcano erupts ash and dust is produced —> they rise and spread in the stratosphere and are spread bu winds —> these particles increase the albedo which reflects solar radiation back into space —> this can have the cooling effect upon the earth.
what is albedo?
reflectivity
how long does the cooling effect last?
round a year until it stabalises
what is the cooling effect
what eruption happened in 1992? what did it cause?
Mt Pinatubo (Philippines)
- caused average global temperatures to decrease by 0.5 degrees celcius
a global warming impact can take place as a result of …
high amounts of greenhouse gases that are released during the eruptiom
what are sunspots?
small black dots/spots on the sun, that indicate a period of greater solar activity, where the sun is emitting more energy as light or heat than usual
how long does the sunspot cycle last for?
every 11 years
what are the Milankovitch cycles?
a cycle lasting over 100,000 years includes: Eccentricity, Axial tilt and Precession
- they alter the amount of sunlight received
what is eccentricity?
the earth’s orbit of the sun (the path is takes) changes between being circular and elliptical (oval shaped)
Orbital theory: what is axial tilt?
the earth’s rotational axis changes
- sometimes it’s vertical and sometimes it’s on a diagonal slant
Orbital theory: What is precession?
when sometimes the earth’s axis wobble like a spinning top
how long does eccentricity last for?
over 100,000 years
how long does axial tilt last for?
41,000 years
how long does precession last for?
19- 23,000 years
what does anthropogenic causes of climate change mean?
it means human causes of climate change
what are the 3 human causes of climate change?
fossil fuels, agriculture, deforestation
what are fossil fuels?
coal, gas and oil
How do fossil fuels effect climate change?
burning fossil fuels release CO2 and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere—> this causes more warming as more solar radiation is trapped in the atmosphere