Paper 1 Climate Change

Question 1

What is climate change?

Answer 1

Any significant change in the Earth’s climate over a long period

Question 2

What is the most recent geological time period?

Answer 2

The Quaternary period

Question 3

What happens during the Quaternary period?

Answer 3

-temperatures have shifted between cold glacial periods (100,000 years) and warmer inter-glacial periods (10,000 years)

Question 4

What does global warming mean?

Answer 4

The term used to describe the sharp rise in global temperatures over the last century (type of climate change)

Question 5

Evidence for climate change
Ice and Sediment Cores

Answer 5

-scientists drill into layers of ice to get long cores of ice
- a new layer is formed every year
-they analyse the gases trapped in each layer to see what the temperature was that year (can show the temperature over the last 400,000 years)

-also the remains of organisms in sediment cores found in the ocean can be analysed (can extent the temperature record back at least 5 million years)

Question 6

Tree rings

Answer 6

-a new ring is grown each year
-they are thicker in warm, wet conditions
-scientists can take cores and count rings to see the age of the tree
-the thickness can tell them what the climate was like.

Question 7

Pollen analysis

Answer 7

-pollen from plants is preserved in sediment
-scientists can identify the date to show what species lived at that time- due to the weather conditions

Question 8

Temperature records

Answer 8

-since the 1850s, global temperatures have been measured accurately using thermometers- reliable short-term record

Question 9

Give 3 natural causes of climate change

Answer 9

-orbital changes
-volcanic activity
-solar output

Question 10

Explain how orbital changes cause climate change

Answer 10

-they affect how much solar radiation is received by the earth (more energy is more warming)
-there are variations in the way the Earth orbits:
-stretch (orbit varies from circular to elliptical)
-tilt (axis is tilted at an angle)
-wobble (axis wobbles like a spinning top)
-these may have caused the glacial and inter-glacial cycles

Question 11

Explain how volcanic activity causes climate change

Answer 11

-big eruptions eject lots of material into the atmosphere, these can reflect the Sun’s rays back to space, so the surface cools
-activity may cause short-term changes in climate

Question 12

Explain how the solar output causes climate change

Answer 12

-the energy output from the sun isn’t constant, it changes in short cycles
-reduced output means that the climate may be cooler in some areas
-solar output isn’t thought to have a major effect on global climate change.

Question 13

Give 4 human activities that can cause climate change.

Answer 13

-burning fossil fuels
-farming
-cement production
-deforestation

Question 14

Explain how burning fossil fuels can cause climate change

Answer 14

-carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere when fossil fuels are burnt

Question 15

Explain how farming can cause climate change

Answer 15

-farming livestock like cows produces lots of methane
-rice paddies contribute to global warming as they emit methane too

Question 16

Explain how cement production can cause climate change

Answer 16

-cement from limestone contains carbon
-when it is produced, lots of carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere.

Question 17

Explain how deforestation can cause climate change

Answer 17

-plants remove carbon dioxide, so as it is burnt they stop taking it in through photosynthesis.

Question 18

How does climate change affect the enviroment?

Answer 18

-glaciers and ice caps can melt
-sea levels rise
-floods occur more regularly
-species are declining due to warming
-precipitation patterns are changing
-distribution and quantity of some species could change and biodiversity could decrease.

Question 19

How does climate change affect people?

Answer 19

-deaths due to heat have increased and cold have decreased
-hot and dry places are difficult to live in and inhabit
-some areas have less water availability than before
-globally, some crops have suffered from warming
-lower yields could increase malnutrition and death form starvation, especially in lower latitudes
-weather is becoming more extreme.

Question 20

give 4 ways to manage climate change

Answer 20

-planting trees
-carbon capture
-alternative energy production
-international agreements.

Question 21

what strategies aim to reduce the causes of climate change
(one word)

Answer 21

MITIGATION

Question 22

Planting trees

Answer 22

this increases the amount of carbon dioxide that is absorbed from the atmosphere through photosynthesis.

Question 23

Carbon capture

Answer 23

this is designed to reduce emissions from power stations burning fossil fuels. it involves capturing carbon dioxide and transporting it to safe places where it can be stored.

Question 24

Alternative energy production

Answer 24

-replacing fossil fuels with nuclear or renewable sources of energy can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Question 25

International agreements

Answer 25

The Paris agreement aims to reduce green house gas emissions. signed by 195 parties (including the EU)
-each country made a pledge saying how they would reduce their emissions.

Question 26

Give 3 ways people are adapting to the effects of climate change.

Answer 26

-changing agricultural systems
-managing water supply
-coping with rising sea levels

Question 27

changing agricultural systems

Answer 27

-changing rainfall patterns and higher temperatures means that:
-new, more suited crops are planted
-biotechnology is being used to create new crop varieties which are more resistant to extreme weather

Question 28

managing water supply

Answer 28

dry areas usually have water shortages, so people need to use it more efficiently.
-water meters can be installed
-rainwater and waste water can be collected and recycled.

Question 29

coping with rising sea levels

Answer 29

-as sea levels are predicted to rise, many islands and coastal islands will be flooded
-better warnings are being put in place for flooding and defences such as flood barriers.