Quaternary Period, GH effect, Climate change, Extreme weather Flashcards
What do we mean by glacials?
Cold periods in the earth’s history when glaciers (Ice) have advanced (got bigger/larger)
What are interglacials?
Warmer periods in the earth’s history when glaciers have retreated (gone backwards) and ice sheets have decreased in size.
True or false? The quaternary period has been dominated by cold climates and ice shaping the land.
True
True or false? Are we experiencing an interglacial period now?
True
The warmer and cooler periods experienced on earth according to Milankovitch are caused by a combination of two things. What are they?
- Shape of the earth’s orbit around the sun (Circular orbits result in glacials),
- Tilt of the earth’s axis (The natural wobble of the Earth as it moves around the sun. This affects the tilt of the Earth and the amount of energy it receives by the sun. The greater the angle of the tilt the hotter the summers and the colder the winters are)
What is one other natural cause of climate change?
Volcanic eruptions
Give 2 examples of greenhouse gases
Methane, Carbon dioxide
What is short wave energy?
Light from the sun.
What is long wave energy?
Heat from the sun.
Carbon is one of the most common elements in the environment. Where do we find it?
- All organic substances i.e. all living things,
- Simple compounds such as CO₂ which exists as a gas in the atmosphere and is dissolved in the oceans.
- Complex compounds such for example hydrocarbons found is fossil fuels such as oil, coal and gas.
What is a carbon sink?
Places where carbon is stored over very long periods of time.
Carbon is transferred from one part of the environment to another in a cycle is known as..
Carbon cycle
What is the keeling curve?
Graph that shows the rise of CO₂ in the atmosphere
What evidence is there of climate change?
Ice cores, tree rings
