Paper 1- Climate change

Question 1

Tropical revolving stroms

Answer 1

Intense low pressure weather system that can last for weeks in the tropical regions of earth. Coriolis force

Question 2

Storm surge

Answer 2

tsunami like phenomenon of rising water associated with low pressure weather systems

Question 3

Pyroclastic flow

Answer 3

Fast movement of hot gas and rock with speeds of 700km/h

Question 4

Lahar

Answer 4

A type of mud flow composed of a slurry of pyroclastic material, rock + water.

Flows down from a volcanoe

Question 5

Volcanic activity

Answer 5

A rupture in the crust of the earth

Question 6

Epicentre

Answer 6

Point on the earths surface that is directly above the hypocenter or focus

Question 7

Plate movement

Answer 7

Scientific theory describing the large scale motion of 7 large plates and a number of smaller plates on the earths lithosphere

Question 8

Subduction

Answer 8

Geological proccess that takes place at convergant boundarys of tectonic plates, where one moves under the other

Question 9

How old is the earth

Answer 9

4.55 Billion years old

Question 10

Geological timescale

Answer 10

Eons, Eras, Periods, Epochs

Question 11

When did complex, multicellular life with hard parts emerge from?

Answer 11

The Phanerozoic eon, representing the most recent 113% of earths history

Question 12

Greenhouse times…

Answer 12

No permanent ice on the planet + more green house gasses in an atmosphere + higher sea level

Question 13

Icehouse times…

Answer 13

Permanent ice on the planet, lower green hopuse gasses + lower sea level

Question 14

Quaternary period

Answer 14

The last 2.6 million years of geological time. Relatively cold time in Earths history, distinguished by cycles of ice sheet expansion and retreat.
The time which humans have evolved and spread accross the planet

Question 15

Glacials

Answer 15

colder times with more ice (lasts around 90,000 years

Question 16

Interglacials

Answer 16

warmer times lasting around 10,000 years

Question 17

INterglacials and Glacials range temp

Answer 17

Ranges from 5 to 6 degrees

Question 18

Holocene

Answer 18

the most recent interglacial, the epoch we are living in now

Question 19

Pleistocene

Answer 19

panning the world’s most recent period of repeated glaciations

Question 20

Proxy data refers to:

Answer 20

sources of evidence through the study of natural features that can be related to climate, rather than direct recording using instruments

Question 21

Examples of proxy data

Answer 21

Tree wing widths,
Layers of glacial ice,
Fossil algae preserved in ocean sediments

Question 22

How has the earths climate been changing over the past two million years

Answer 22

Not stable
Quite regular- cyclic
The cycles are becoming bigger and more pronounced,
5-6 degrees average global temp between both spikes

Question 23

How to notice changes from ice core samples

Answer 23

when temp is low there is more dust and lower CO2 in the air

Question 24

What are the causes for changes in the ocean sediments and ice cores?

Answer 24

over long timescales, there is cyclic variation in the way the earth orbits round the sun.
This gradually changes the amount of insolation received in the mid to high northern hemisphere latitudes, which in turn affects whether the glaciers and ice sheets expand or retreat.
these orbital changes are called Milankovitch cycles

Question 25

natural factors that cause climate change

Answer 25

volcanic eruptions, solar output changes, variation in ocean/ atmosphere circulation

Question 26

main greenhouse gases

Answer 26

H2O vapour, CO2, CH4

Question 27

What effect do greenhouse gases have on the earths climate?

Answer 27

GHG absorb long waves, the escape of long waves by sun is slowed by GHG’s in atmosphere

Question 28

global warming

Answer 28

increases the interception of long wave energy causing it to warm

Question 29

Mitigation

Answer 29

Strategies to deal with the root causes of the problem e.g reforestation

Question 30

Adaptation

Answer 30

Strategies to better cope with the impacts of climate change e.g developing crops to become better suited to their environment