Science, Chapter 4, Section 3: Long term changes in climate Flashcards
what important principle do scientists use about the conditions plants and animals need
If they need it today, they needed before, so the conditions must have been similar.
what tree property changes with climate temperature?
The ring thickness changes with temperature and moisture.
What does a thin tree ring indicate
cold and dry
What material from plans can be found in the mud in the bottom of lakes.
pollen
What kind of trees can be studied that are 3000 to 4000 years old
sequoias
what are the huge ice sheets that happen during an ice age called?
glaciers
How many ice ages have there been in the past 2 million years, and how long did they last?
4 ice ages, 10,000 years or longer.
How do ice ages affect coastlines?
When glaciers melt, they flood coastal areas.
What are the 3 possible causes of climate change?
- changes in position of earth relative to sun, 2. changes in sun’s energy output, 3. movement of continents.
What happens on the sun that might affect climate change?
Sun spots
How long is the sun spot cycle?
11 years
what have satellites discovered about the sun that affects our climage?
That the amount of energy it produces varies year to year.
What is the name of the single continent that used to exist?
Pangea
What do moving continents do to the atmosphere
they affect patterns of winds and ocean currents
