Past Climates

Question 1

Define what climate is?

Answer 1

What we expect based on long term averages

Question 2

Define what weather is?

Answer 2

The day to day variation in atmospheric conditions

Question 3

What is Anthropogenic climate change ?

Answer 3

human influenced climate change

Question 4

What evidence is there for ice ages?

Answer 4

U-shaped valleys where glaciers formed in rivers at the base of the valley and expanded massively
Glacial material such as granite

Question 5

What evidence is there for past climates?

Answer 5

Land features like U-shaped valleys

Geological record - fossils and sedimentary rocks

Question 6

What is anecdotal evidence?

Answer 6

Created by humans at the time

Art and cave paintings, written accounts

Question 7

What is an interglacial?

Answer 7

Warm periods between glacials (cold periods)

Question 8

What are the natural causes of climate change?

Answer 8

Eruptions or Volcanic theory
The theories relating to asteroid impact
Orbital theory - milankovitch cycles
Theories relating to varying solar output - sunspot theory

Question 9

What is eruption theory?

Answer 9

Big eruptions that produce ash and sulfur dioxide
If ash and sulfur dioxide rise high enough they can spread around the stratosphere by high level winds and block out sunlight by reflecting it - cools planet

Question 10

What are the theories relating to asteroid impact?

Answer 10

Big impact will blast millions of tonnes of ash and dust into the atmosphere - blocks sunlight - cools Earth
Similar impact to volcanic eruptions
1km sized asteroid hits Earth every 500 000 years

Question 11

What is sunspot theory?

Answer 11

Random change in amount of solar output by sun
When black spots on sun - more active (sunspots)
The number of sunspots fluctuates regularly

Question 12

What is orbital theory and Milankovitch Cycles?

Answer 12

Changes to Earth’s orbit of sun over very long periods
Sometimes Earth has circular orbit and sometimes oval
Changes every 100 000 years
Earth’s axis tilts between 22 and 24.5 degrees over
41 000 year period and the Earth’s axis wobble and then straightens up again which takes 26 000 years each time
All alter amount of sunlight the Earth receives or how much particular parts of the Earth receives

Question 13

What happened to the Vikings in Greenland?

Answer 13

Deforestation and soil erosion of land from overgrazing
Little Ice age began and climate cooled
{ Sea ice reduced trade between Greenland and Norway
{ Less food caught in shorter summer
{ Less vegetation - less hay for cattle to eat in Winter
Three above points meant that people ran short of food and animals didn’t survive the winter - resources ran short and people starved and died

Question 14

What were the impacts of the Little Ice Age?

Answer 14

Coastal flooding - cooler atmosphere clouds can’t store as much water - more rain - salt from water onto soil
Loss of fertile coastal farmland
Also crops are flooded but soil means crops can’t grow
Bad harvests - famine and malnourishment
Glaciers in high altitude and latitude
South and lower altitude migration

Question 15

Why did the Viking fail to survive in Greenland?

Answer 15

Failed to adapt to local environment and live sustainably
Should’ve taken advice from Inuits who controlled the population, used natural resources sustainably and lived in Igloos which contain heat

Question 16

What does biotic mean?

Answer 16

Living aspects of an environment

Question 17

What does abiotic mean?

Answer 17

Non-living aspects of an environment

Question 18

What’s an ecosystem?

Answer 18

A system in which the biotic environment interact with the abiotic environment. Consists of many habitats

Question 19

What is a megafauna?

Answer 19

Big animals that weight overt 40kg

Question 20

How did climate change effect food chains?

Answer 20

Animals migrate to find suitable climate
Leaves some animals short of food
Animals lose prey and can’t eat - become extinct
Animals lose predators and rapidly reproduce

Question 21

What gases make up the atmosphere?

Answer 21

Nitrogen 78%
Oxygen 21%
Greenhouse gases (atmosphere) 1%
Greenhouse gases - CO² CH⁴ H²O

Question 22

Define the greenhouse effect

Answer 22

Solar energy from the sun trapped in the atmosphere blocked by greenhouse gases

Question 23

What activities release Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere? - 89% of greenhouse gases

Answer 23

Fossil fuels in industry produce CO² - industrial revolution in MEDC’s and now in developing world
Transport and electricity require burning fossil fuels
MEDC’s use the cleanest fossil fuel gas
LEDC’s use oil and coal which produce large carbon footprints when burning fossil fuels
Deforestation reduces the amount of carbon stores

Question 24

Define Carbon store

Answer 24

Amount of CO² released into atmosphere as a result of an activity

Question 25

What activities release methane into the atmosphere?

7% of greenhouse gases

Answer 25

Rice production - more due to exponential growth of population and food demand in Asia
Leaks in gas lines in developing world - since dash for gas in the 1970’s natural gas the dominant fossil fuel
Landfill - more due to exponential population growth and more due to us being a throwaway society and globalisation and industrialisation
More cows due to a move for meat and higher demand for milk - population growth and greater disposable incomes in the developing world to afford meat
The melting Tundra which is a methane store

Question 26

What activities release Nitrous Oxide into the atmosphere? 3% of greenhouse gases

Answer 26

Development of Boeing 747 - jumbo Jet - enabled mass travel increasing air pollution as more people fly
More food needed - intensification of agriculture which require fertilisers than include nitrous oxide
More sewage farms due to more poo from more people
From combustion - more cars in developing world due to rising disposable incomes - lorries for trade

Question 27

What activities release Halocarbons into the atmosphere? 1% of greenhouse gases

Answer 27

Greater manufacturing which releases halocarbons
Air conditioning in warm countries - rising disposable income allows people to afford the luxury
Halocarbons are in solvents
Greater amount of offices with air con in MEDC’s

Question 28

Define the enhanced greenhouse effect

Answer 28

Greater greenhouse effect due to human contribution to greenhouse gases

Question 29

What does the future climate look like?

Answer 29

Global temperature rise of 1.1ºc to 6.4ºc by 2100
Sea levels to rise between 30cm and 1 metre by 2100
Floods and droughts more common
Fertile coastal farm land will flood - food shortage
Food and water strain - war for resources

Question 30

What causes sea levels to rise?

Answer 30

Thermal expansion

Question 31

Define tipping point

Answer 31

The point at which global climate change does into a possibly irreversible state

Question 32

What is an air mass?

Answer 32

A huge body of air with uniform temperature and humidity

Question 33

How many the UK’s climate change?

Answer 33

The polar front may shift north

The North Atlantic Drift could change position

Question 34

What are the possible benefits of a warmer UK?

Answer 34

Lower heating costs in the winter
More holidays in the UK - greater tourism income
Fewer deaths of older people in winter
New crops could be grown - new sale opportunities
More land could be farmed at higher altitudes

Question 35

What are the possible cons of a warmer UK?

Answer 35

Drought and water shortage more common
More illness such as heat-stroke and skin cancer
Very hot temperatures could damage infrastructure
Farmers may have to change crops to suit new climate
Some animals and plants native to UK may migrate or die out in the UK