Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Global Climate Change > Paleoclimate > Flashcards

Paleoclimate Flashcards

1
Q

What is paleoclimate?

A

it is the study of earth’s climate and helps us understand what influences this kind of climate variation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What are some methods used to study past climate?

A
  • ice cores
  • dendrochronology
  • eras
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What are the drivers of glacial-interglacial cycles?

A
  • orbital variations
  • volcanic activity
  • solar variability
  • greenhouse gas concentration
  • plate tectonics and continental drift
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

How does analyzing ice cores help reconstruct the past climate?

A

drilling into ice and looking at the gasses trapped in the bubbles in the ice reveals the greenhouse gas levels overtime

ex: radioactive isotopes show clues

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What is dendrochronology? How does it help reconstruct the past climate?

A

it is the study of tree rings

by looking at the size of the tree rings, it gives us an idea of the environment during that year

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

How do the sizes of tree rings give us information on the past environment?

A
  • Wide rings - favorable conditions
  • Narrow rings - stressful conditions
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What were the different paleoclimate periods?

A
  • mesozoic era
  • cenozoic era
  • quarternary period
  • paleocene-eocene thermal maximum
  • last galcial maximum
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What was the mesozoic era?

A
  • 252 - 66 million years ago
  • was a time of warm and stable climate; no ice caps; high CO2 levels
  • Supported tropical and subtropical ecosystems
  • Dinosaurs and large vegetations
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What was the cenozoic era?

A
  • 66 million years ago - present
  • gradual cooling trend
  • new ecosystems (grasslands); rise of mammals, birds, and flowering plants
  • foundation for today’s glacial-interglacial cycles and climate variability
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What was the quarternary period?

A
  • 2.6 millions years ago - present
  • Cycles of glaciation and interglacial warming, driven by orbital changes
  • Evolution and migration of early humans; varied ecosystems
  • Demonstrates natural climate cycles; helps distinguish human-driven changes from natural climate variations
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What was the paleocene- eocene thermal maximum?

A
  • 56 million years ago
  • abrupt warming of 5-8ºC over 200,000 years because of a large greenhouse gas release
  • species migrations, adaptations; ocean acidification
  • reveals consequences of rapid warming and greenhouse gas releases on ecosystems
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What was the last glacial maximum?

A
  • ~20,000 years ago
  • peak of the last ice age
  • sea levels were lower
  • Ice-adapted ecosystems
  • benchmark for understanding glacial cycles and potential future cooling scenarios
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

How does orbital variation impact the climate?

A
  • movement of earth in space affects climate change
  • Eccentricity, obliquity, and precession alter Earth’s distance and orientation to the Sun
  • impact the amount and distribution of sunlight that the earth receives
  • higher obliquity -> warmer summers and cold winters
  • Drives glacial-interglacial cycles over tens of thousands of years
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

What is the Milankovitch Cycle?

A

Milankovitch cycles are periodic changes in the orbital characteristics of a planet that control how much sunlight it receives, thus affecting its climate and habitability over hundreds of thousands of years.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

How do volcanic eruptions impact the climate?

A
  • impacts sunlight and solar radiation
  • Eruptions release aerosols (cooling effect) and greenhouse gases like CO₂ (warming effect)
  • Causes short-term cooling and can contribute to long-term warming with CO₂ buildup
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

How does the solar variability impact the climate?

A
  • Changes in solar radiation due to sunspot cycles and periods like the Maunder Minimum
  • Leads to temperature fluctuations over decades and centuries
17
Q

What does sunspot activity tell us about the climate?

A
  • higher activity - warmer
  • lower activity - cooler
18
Q

How do the greenhouse gas concentrations impact the climate?

A
  • CO₂ and methane levels vary naturally due to volcanic activity, biological processes, and oceans
  • Affects the greenhouse effect, influencing global temperatures over time
19
Q

How do plate tectonics and continental drift impact the climate?

A
  • Continental movement alters ocean currents, wind patterns, and heat distribution
  • Shapes long-term climate by modifying ocean circulation and atmospheric conditions
20
Q

What were the consequences of the Ice Age?

A
  • Lower CO2 levels can allow ice sheets to expand
  • positioning of continents can impact how the ice caps retreat
  • Contributed to the deposition of rich soils
  • Caused valleys and other changes in the landscape
  • Affected biodiversity
21
Q

What is an anthropocene?

A

period of time during which human activities have impacted the environment enough to constitute a distinct geological change

22
Q

Why is the anthropocene important?

A
  • increase in global temperature
  • rapid biodiversity loss
  • increased fragmentation
23
Q

What is the debate with the topic of the anthropocene?

A

Geologists say we’re not in an anthropocene epoch and that to be considered an epoch we must have a unique marker on the geological record but some say that the epoch started in 1950s around the time of the industrialization

24
Q

What is hyper-novelty?

A

A phenomenon where rapid pace of technological, social, and environmental changes outstrips the human species’ ability to adapt

25
Q

What is the problem with hyper-novelty?

A
  • Creates a mismatch between our evolved instincts and the demand of our contemporary life
  • Create risks in modern agriculture and social stability
  • The speed in which the world is changing is faster than our evolutionary adaptation

Global Climate Change (6 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions