question

ice age

answer

ice age- any period of time when Earth has permanent ice sheets such as those in Antarctica.

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how old is the Earth>

answer

4.5 billion years old

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Describe how the history of earth is divided. etc.

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Scientists divide Earth's history into different time periods and we are currently in the Quaternary period, which begun about 2.6 million years. Scientists also divide the Quaternary period into two epochs.

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explain the two epochs

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The Pleistocene epoch lasted from 2.6 million years to 11, 700 years ago. The current Holocene epoch began 11 700 years ago.

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Detail fluctuating temperatures

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Although the Quaternary period is an ice age, the temperature has always fluctuated, moving up and down, sometimes warmer but often colder than it is today.

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Describe colder and warmer periods

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The colder periods normally last about 100 000 years and are called glacial periods. The warmer periods normally last about 10 000 years and are called interglacial periods.

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detail the change in glacial period

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In the last glacial periods huge sheets of ice covered most of Britain. Temperatures reached their coldest about 22 000 years ago when 30 % of Earth was covered in ice. Temperatures then increased, many glaciers melted and Earth began a warmer interglacial period. We are currently living in the interglacial period that begin 11 700 years ago. today only 10 % of earth is covered in ice.

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why is 1880 significant?

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Most scientists believe the period since about 1990 is very significant because the rise in temperatures is so fast. It is also a period when human activity might have had the biggest effect on Earth's climate.

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what are ice cores?

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Scientist can drill down into this ice and remove tubes of ice called ice cores.

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what can scientist do in relation to drilling ice cores?

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They can drill so deep they are able to study ice laid down 800 000 years ago.

question

describe the layers in the ice

answer

The lighted colored layers show snow laid down in summer and the darker colored show winter snow. Although not much snow falls in winter, strong winds blow the snow about and mix dust into it, making it darker. Thick summer layers mean there was lots of new snow.

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What kind of evidence is in the snow?

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Ice cores show how much snow fell, but scientists can also study what is in the snow. By looking at gases trapped in each layer, they can learn more about Earth's climate.

question

What do ice cores contain?

answer

Ice cores contain small bubbles of gas that give us evidence of what the air was like thousands of years ago.

question

Describe ice cores and oxygen. all detail

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the bubbles can contain heavy or light types of oxygen called isotopes. One type is O 16 which is lighter than 0 18. By looking at the type of oxygen in different layers in the ice, scientist can tell whether the climate was warmer or colder. Lots of O 16 and Earth was colder, lots of 0 18 and Earth was warmer.

question

Describe ice cores and carbon dioxide

answer

Scientists also look at the amount of carbon dioxide in the bubble. Lots of CO2 suggests warmer temperatures.

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what can isotopes of oxygen and co2 tell us?

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The evidence from oxygen isotopes and co2 levels can be used to show Earth's fluctuating temperature. They also tell us that Earth's current temperature is high compared to the past.

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How are ice cores proved to be reliable?

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We now have data from ice cores that include ice that is thousands of years old. Scientists have also looked at much younger ice, such as from the 1950s, to see whether that matches other data collected in the last few decades from sources like weather stations. Matching in this way has proved that data from ice cores are accurate and reliable.

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what is another evidence for climate change?

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The expanse of ice in the Arctic is another piece of evidence for climate change.

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what have scientist been doing since 1979?

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Since 1979 scientists have been using satellite photos to study the sea ice maximum and sea ice minimum.

question

what are seas ice maximum and sea ice minimum? when do they occur etc?

answer

the sea ice maximum is the maximum area in the Arctic covered in ice in any year. This occurs in winter and it normally reaches its maximum in February or March. As the Arctic warms up in Summer, the sea ice melts and reaches its minimum in September.

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how is sea ice position evidence for climate change? examples

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The size of the sea ice maximum and minimum have both been getting smaller. On average the area covered by sea ice in the Arctic has become 13.3 % smaller every ten years since 1979.

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global warming

answer

An increase in the average temperatures of Earth's atmosphere and oceans

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what has been happening since 1659?

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in 1659, the central england temperature record began recording monthly average temperatures for the midlands in england. This is the oldest record of temperature measurements in the world.

question

when did reliable records of temperatures across the world began being kept?

answer

1880

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today...

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Today there are more than a thousand weather stations recording daily temperatures, New weather stations are added each year, which makes the stations even more reliable.

question

criticizing the data

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Some critics say that there are not enough weather stations to give an accurate picture of Earth's temperatures. Other are concerned that data might not always be accurate. Recording instrument may be placed in positions that do not give a fair record of an area's real temperature.

question

y diaries and paintings, neg n pos

answer

Finding out Earth's temperature before accurate daily temperature records were kept can be difficult. Studying things like old paintings and people's diaries do not give scientists mathematical data, but they can still help to show what the temperature was like in the past.

question

y might there natural causes for climate change

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Humans were not around for most of the many periods of climate change throughout Earth's history. If human were not there, there must be some natural reasons for Earth's climate change.

question

list some theories

answer

sun spots milankovitch cycles volcanic eruptions

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detail the milankovitch cycel

answer

In the 1930s, a seribian maths guy called Milutin Milankovithc argued that climate change was linked to the way earth moves around the sun, and how it wobbles and tilts as it does this.

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eccentricity

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changes in the shape of Earth's orbit

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obliquity

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changes in how earth's tilts on its axis

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precession

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the amount Earth wobbles on its axis

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detail precession (wobble)

answer

as earth spins on its axis it wobbles, The wobble is caused by the force of gravity from the Sun and the moon. It makes the axis trace a circular shape, slowly changing the direction it points in. The axis wobbles from one extreme to the other over a periods of approximately 23 000 years. This can change the severity of the seasons and which hemisphere is closest to the Sun at different times of the year.

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detail eccentricity

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In the 21st century earth is orbiting the Sun in a nearly perfect circle. however, over a period of approximately 100 000 years the orbit changes slowly from a circle to an oval and back again. When the shape is oval, Earth is much closer to the Sun at some times of the year and further away at other times of the year. This has the most effect on our climate when Earth is further from the Sun during northern hemisphere summers.

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detail obliquity

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Earth is tilted on its axis. Over roughly 40 000 years the angle of tilt changes slowly from 21. 5 to 24.5 . We get our summer when Earth is tilted towards the Sun in its annual orbit and winter when it is titled away from the Sun. With less tilt our summers are cooler and winters are milder. In the 21st century the angle of tilt is 23.5 degrees.

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What did Milankovitch think the most important reason for climate change was. explain

answer

Was the temperature during the northern hemisphere summers. If it was cool, the winter ice would not melt as much and would build up -eventually triggering an ice age.

question

Cooler northern hemisphere summers are more likely when:

answer

1. Earth's orbit means earth is furthest from the Sun during northern hemisphere summers. 2. Earth has less wobble 3. Earth's wobble means the northern hemisphere has cooler and shorter summers.

question

sun spots

answer

There are darker spots on the Sun 's surface. These are temporary and are caused by magnetic storms.

question

what do sun spots do?

answer

they increase the amount of energy earth receives from the Sun, causing it to warm up.

question

how long are sun cycles?

answer

There is an 11 year cycle of sun spot activity, although some cycles are longer.

question

volcanic eruptions- process, effect

answer

When volcanoes erupt they release huge amounts of dust (containing ash, sulphur dioxide, carbon dioxide, water vapour) into the atmosphere. This dust blocks out sunlight, which results in cooler temperatures on Earth.

question

example of volcanic eruption and their effect

answer

During the Medieval Warm period, there was less volcanic activity and during the Little Ice Age, there was more volcanic activity.

question

natural greenhouse effect

answer

the natural process by which Earth is kept warm by gases that trap the Sun's energy in the atmosphere.

question

enhanced greenhouse effect

answer

the trapping of more of the Sun's energy because of the cumulative effect of greenhouse gases, causing Earth's temperature to increase

question

greenhouse gases

answer

Gases in the atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide and water vapour are called greenhouse gases because they act like the glass roof on a greenhouse. They trap some of the Sun's radiation, preventing it from escaping into outer space. This increases earth's temperature.

question

y are greenhouse gases important

answer

Green house gases are important because without them it would be too cold for life to exist on Earth.

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the enhanced greenhouse effect

answer

Most scientists believe that the increase in Earth's temperature over the last 250 years is because of the enhanced greenhouse effect. Humans have put more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere than occur naturally. This makes the layer of greenhouse gases thicker and means more of the Sun's energy is trapped. This increases Earth's temperature and is causing climate change.

question

natural greenhouse effect-before human intervention

answer

Energy comes from the Sun as short wave radiation. Most energy passes through a layer of naturally occurring greenhouse gases. Earth's surface is warmed. Some energy is reflected back out to space as long wave radiation. Long wave radiation does not pass through greenhouse gases as easily as short wave radiation. Some energy escapes back out to space. Some energy is absorbed by greenhouse gases and some is reflected back to Earth.

question

addition of an enhanced green house effect

answer

Human activity puts more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The thicker layer of greenhouse gases absorbs more energy and more is reflected back to Earth. The Earth becomes warmer. This causes global warming.

question

How do most greenhouse gases occur?

answer

Most greenhouse gases occur naturally.

question

discuss water vapour as a greenhouse gas

answer

Water vapour has the biggest effect because there is much more of it than any other greenhouse gas. However, humans do not influence the amount of water vapour in the atmosphere. So scientists do not normally include it when they consider how much different greenhouse gases contribute to global warming.

question

carbon dioxide- accounts, amount, source

answer

carbon dioxide is the most significant greenhouse gas. It accounts for 60% of the enhanced greenhouse effect. It is produced by burning fossil fuels like coal and gas to make electricity. Industry, cars and desforestation all release co2 into the atmosphere.

question

methane- accounts, amount, source

answer

Methane accounts for 15 percent of the enhanced greenhouse effect. The actual amount of methane in the atmosphere is still quite small but it is 25 times more efficient than CO2 at trapping radiation. Its main sources are landfill sites, rice production and farm animals like cows

question

halocarbons accounts, amount, source

answer

Halocarbons, mainly CFCs are the only human made greenhouse gases and make up only tiny proportion of all greenhouse gases. But they can be 15,000 times more efficient at trapping radiation than CO2 so they account for 15 % of the overall effect. They come from air-conditioning, refrigerators, aerosols and foam packaging.

question

nitrous oxide

answer

Nitrous oxide is 250 times more efficient than CO2 at trapping radiation and accounts for 6 % of the enhanced greenhouse effect. The main sources are agricultural fertilizers and car exhausts.

question

ACs and CO2

answer

The lifestyle of people who lice in advanced countries is the reason that so much co2 is being put into the atmosphere. This lifestyle uses lots of fuel and energy in things like cars, aeroplanes, food and phones and other electrical products.

question

The geography of carbon dioxide

answer

LIDCs emit very low levels of carbon dioxide but ACs and EDCs emit much more.

question

problem with looking each country's share of total CO2 emmisons

answer

China seems to be mostly to blame for high CO2 emissions but is misleading because there are 1.36 billion people in china compared to 320 million in the USA. If we want to think about which countries are causing climate change, it is important to look at CO2 emissions per capita.

question

another problem

answer

Even looking at co2 per capita can be misleading because it does not take into account that countries like China produce a lot of C02 making products which are used by people in ACs. There is growing debate about whether the CO2 emitted in making these products should count in the country where they are made or in the country where they are brought and used.

question

carbon footprint

answer

This takes into account the fact that the lifestyleof people in ACs depends on carbon emmisions in EDCs and LIDCs.

question

climate change refugees

answer

Climate change refugees are people who are forced to leave their homes and communities because of the impacts of climate change.

question

why are sea levels rise>

answer

THERMAL EXPANSION As the temperature of water in the ocean increases, the water expands making sea levels rise MELTING GLACIERS As glaciers melt, water that was stored as ice is added to the world's oceans MELTING ICE CAPS As the huge expanses of ice in the Arctic and antarctic melt, more water i added to the oceans

question

what do rising sea levels threaten?

answer

Rising sea levels threaten to flood many small islands and low lying coastal areas.

question

2 effects on MALDIVES

answer

The Maldives relies on tourism for a lot of its income. As the sea levels rise there is more coastal erosion and flooding- and tourist resort will shut down. As the ocean around the islands warms up it absorbs more CO2. This makes the water more acidic, which reduces the numbers of fish, which the local people rely on.

question

extreme weather and climate change

answer

Climate change is also causing more extreme weather. Warmer oceans seem to be making tropical storms more frequent. High temperatures are also making heatwaves more common and more extreme. So droughts are more severe and last longer.

question

heatwaves in europe. date

answer

In the summer 2003, countries across europe suffered from record high temperatures. It was the hottest summer for 500 years. - Over 20,000 people died from the heat, with old particularly at risk - Hospitals were overflowing and France had to set up temporary places to store dead bodies - The farming industry lost 10 billion pounds because crops and animals died -Railway lines buckled in the heat and roads melted -The London eye closed for a day because it was too hot in the cabins.

question

What is happening to food and water due to climate change?

answer

As Earth's temperature increases there is likely to be a decrease in the amount of food and water available. The supply of food is affected by warmer temperatures, changing rainfall patterns and extreme weather.

question

changes to food and water around the world

answer

In general, northern parts of the world will benefit from warmer temperatures and so be able to produce more food. Other parts of the world, will produce less food as they get hotter.

question

What is happening globally?

answer

Globally, the amount of food grown per hectare is already declining. This includes some of the world's most important crops such as wheat and rice.

question

Current water situation and y not saltwater

answer

Already, may people in the world do not have enough water. They need freshwater to drink and stay alive. Seawater is too salty to drink and it is very expensive to remove the salt.

question

what is freshwater also needed for?

answer

Freshwater is also needed to keep other living things alive and for farming, industry and energy production.

question

Warmer temperatures affect water supply in four ways: list:

answer

1. Changing rainfall patterns mean that some areas have less rainfall. 2. Melting glaciers put freshwater stores into the oceans. 3. More freshwater evaporates 4. Very heavy rainfall means freshwater runs back into oceans more quickly.

question

Why is Lake Chad shrinking?

answer

1. A series of droughts meant water lost through increased evaporation was not replaced by rainfall or from the rivers that run into the lake. 2. rainfall in the whole region has reduced by 5-10 mm a year 3. Less rainfall means that people take more water put of the lake to water their land and grow crops.

question

who uses the lake and for what?

answer

The water in the lake is used by 30 million people i Chad, Nigeria, Niger and Cameroon to provide drinking water,food and an income. The lake is used for fishing and provided water for the crops and animals.

question

what does the disappearing lake cause?

answer

The disappearing lake causes many conflicts in the region. Fishermen want farmers to stop taking water for their crops and different countries argue over who should control the use of water from the lake.

question

Y are plants and animals threatened.

answer

They are threatened because warmer temperatures, different rainfall patterns and dry spells change the conditions they need to survive.

question

what are species refugees ?

answer

species refugees are species that will move to different parts of the world.

question

Why are polar bears under threat specifically from climate change?

answer

In the artic, polar bears are already under threat. Polar bears eat mainly seals, but hunt their food from the ice. When there is less ice they have to swim further to find food, which takes more energy. They also need to rest on the ice so they can save energy, especially in winter when there is less food.

question

importance of seals and polar bears

answer

The population of seals is also declining, which makes it more difficult for polar bears to find food. As the Arctic ice shrinks, the seals have less ice on which to mate, rear their pups and rest. When the ice breaks up, some pups are separated for their mothers and die of starvation and exposure.

question

link seals and polar bears

answer

If polar bears do not get enough they become weaker and stop reproducing. Lack of food is the main reason why polar bear cubs die.

question

How is warmer temperature affecting disease and health? example as well

answer

Climate change is also impacting on animal and human health by increasing infectious diseases. Warmer temperatures mean that insects like mosquitoes live longer and survive in parts of the world that used to be too cold for them. This means that disease like malaria are threatening more parts of the world such as Europe.

question

another example of climate change etc

answer

Many diseases spread in infected water. Because climate change is causing more floods, the spread of waterborne diseases is affecting more people.

question

Finally, what is climate change also affecting?

answer

Disease also affects plants and crops. Pests that attack crops are living longer and living in more areas

question

Detail the global distribution of impacts

answer

The impacts of climate change around the world. For example, some places are threatened by extreme heat but for others the problem might be flooding.

question

africa and europe impacts of climate change

answer

AFRICA - water shortage and droughts -increase in disease -reduced crop production EUROPE -economic loss due to flood damage - reduction in water availability especially in southern europe -threat to human health

question

What changes are expected to UK's climate?

answer

1. Increase in average temperatures 2.Have warmer, but wetter winters 3. Have warmer and drier summers

question

Rising sea levels threaten many parts of the UK. EXAMPLES OF COASTAL FLOODING

answer

1. Low lying areas, particularly in the east of England, could flood. London could experience serious flooding with the Thames Flood Barrier unable to cope. 2. Coastal regions contain lots of manufacturing, transport routes, power stations, oil and gas terminals and agricultural land. 3. erosion of coastal areas will increase and more will need to be spent on coastal defenses 4. Coastal towns tend to have high numbers of elderly people- the least able to cope with flood events

question

extreme rainfall in the UK

answer

The UK is likely to have more extreme rainfall, especially in winter. This will increase the chance of flooding from rivers. Heavy downpours in particular can cause flash floods, which happen very quickly and very devastating effects. River flooding also makes coastal flooding worse and puts even more properties at risk.

question

Flooding in 2007

answer

In the summer 2007,the UK suffered its wettest May and June since records began in 1776. There were floods across the country and widespread damage to homes, businesses and transport networks. The total cost to the UK's economy was £3.2 billion.

question

example of a place

answer

Some areas suffered more than others. Tewkesbury in Gloustershire was badly affected. 3 people died, 1800 homes were completely cut off and 50,000 has no electricity.

question

List the problems with extreme heat

answer

DEATH AND ILLNESSES WATER SHORTAGE

question

DEATH AND ILLNESS

answer

Extreme heat causes death. 2000 people died in the UK in the 2003 heatwave and the number of people dying early because of heat is expected to increase. People who suffer from breathing difficulties such as asthma are more likely to become ill in extreme heat because of air pollution increases.Hot weather also means more bacteria breeds on food.

question

WATER SHORTAGES

answer

High temperatures, combined with less summer rain, will lead to water shortage. London and the south east of england will be worst affected. This is a particular problem because over a quater of the UK population live there. There might have to be restrictions on water use, such as hosepipe bans, or even cuts to domestic water supplies. Water shortages also affect industry. For example, power stations need large quantities of water and may be forced to shut down during as more extreme weather conditions, making it difficult to grow some crops.

question

what are the benefits of warmer temperatures?

answer

Warmer temperatures mean there are fewer deaths due to cold, and industries like tourism and farming benefit.

question

A BETTER CLIMATE FOR TOURISM

answer

Better weather will mean that more people will take hoildays in the UK. Warmer temperatures will also make the temperatures will also make the tourist season longer. This will be good for the economy because people will spend more money on things like hotel, days out etc

question

A BETTER CLIMATE FOR FARMING

answer

Warmer weather could also help the UK's farming industry. Growing seasons will be longer, so more food will be grown. there would also be opportunities for growing new types of food. Farmers in the south will be able to grow crops like sunflowers, olives and melons, which all need higher temperatures.

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