Topic 1 Hazardous Earth Flashcards
Explain low pressure
Air heated and it rises up, as it’s less dense creating rain clouds
Explain high pressure
When air becomes more dense, and so it transfers heat to the ground and falls, leaving little to no rain
What is the Coriolis effect
When because of the earths rotation, the wind is deflected to the right in the northen hemisphere and left in the southern hemisphere
Where on the earth receives the least solar radiation, and why
The poles as the suns rays have to travel the farthest
What is global atmospheric circulation
The process in which warm wind moves around the Earth
Where on earth is there high-pressure?
In between Ferrel and Hadley cells
How do ocean currents transfer heat around the Earth
Currents caused by winds, help transfer heat away from the equator, through warm water
What are the characteristics of a deep, cold current?
High salt content and sinks in the sea
What does a warm current have
Low salt and so rises up and gains even more heat from the sun
What is natural climate change
How average climatic conditions of the planet vary over time naturally
What is the quaternary period
Teh last 2.6 million years
What are the four main things that have changed the climate in the past
Orbital changes
Asteroids
Volcanoes
Solar output variation
What is eccentricity
The change in the way the earth orbits the sun
What is the tilt
How the equator has moved places
How can asteroid collisions affect the climate
They eject lots of dust into the atmosphere, blocking solar radiation and cooling the earth
How can volcanic activity cause climate change?
Volcanic eruptions release ash and sulphur, they can reflect sunlight back into space, lowering the temperature
What are sunspots meaning?
It means more solar energy being fired out from the sun
Give three things that give evidence for natural climate change
Tree rings, ice cores and historical sources
Is the greenhouse effect natural
Yes, because without it, the Earth would freeze and we wouldn’t be able to live on it
How does agriculture cause the enhanced greenhouse effect?
Because due to population growth, there has been a higher amount for food and so forest have been cleared to make room for cattle
How does energy contribute to the enhanced greenhouse effect?
Did the man of electricity growing because of the increasing population, and most of our energy is produced through burning, fossil fuels and burning fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide
How does transport contribute to the enhanced greenhouse effect
With cars, becoming more affordable, lots of fuel being used and most transport is fueled by fossil fuels
How does industry contribute to the enhanced greenhouse effect?
As levels are disposable incomes, there is more demand for goods leading to industrial growth, and I need for more energy, resulting in fossil fuels being burnt
How is the global average temperature evidence suggest that human activity is causing climate change?
9 out of 10 of the warmest years on record have occurred in the 21st century
How is Arctic sea ice melting evidence for human activity, causing climate change?
Increasing global temperatures means that more ice has melted, and so by 2012, floating sea ice had shrunk to less than half in 1979. This cannot be explained by natural causes
How is sea level change evidence for human activity, causing climate change?
Since the 1900s, the sea level has increased by 3.2 mm due to thermal expansion as water gets warmer, it expands and takes up more space, meaning that global temperature has been increasing
Why is it so difficult to give precise predictions for the possible consequences of climate change?
Because it is very hard to predict the events that will happen in the future. Also, we do not know if countries will really try their best to help the environment.
What is seasonal distribution of tropical cyclones?
How tropical cyclones happen at different times of the year
What are ITCZ’s
Areas of permanently low pressure
Where are the tropical cyclone source areas?
A few degrees north and south of the equator