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Geography > P.1 Section A (2) > Flashcards

P.1 Section A (2) Flashcards

1
Q

what is the definition of climate change?

A

a long-term change in the earth’s climate , especially a change due to

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2
Q

what are the glacial periods?

A

when ice covered most of Europe and North America

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3
Q

what are the inter-glacial periods?

A

when the temperature was warmer and the glacial retreat/ shrink

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4
Q

give 4 pieces of evidence for climate change.

A

The UK’s 10 warmest years have occurred since 1990
- 2018 was the hottest summer on record
- extreme cold events are becoming more severe: Dec 2010 was the coldest month ever
- major flooding event have become more frequent over past 10 years: Dec 2015 was the wettest month —> caused flooding in many areas

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5
Q

give 2 evidence for climate change

A

Tree ring and ice cores

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6
Q

How are ice cores used as evidence for climate change?

A

tests air trapped in the ice, higher CO2 = higher temperature

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7
Q

How are tree rings used as evidence for climate change?

A

Every year trees grows and leaves a ring,
- thicker ring = warmer and wetter climate as it was able to grow
- thin ring = drier and colder climate

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8
Q

what are the 3 natural climate change theories?

A

1.volcanic activity ( eruption theory)
2. solar activity ( sunspot theory)
3. orbital changes

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9
Q

how does the eruption theory affect the temperature?

A

When a volcano erupts ash and dust is produced —> they rise and spread in the stratosphere and are spread bu winds —> these particles increase the albedo which reflects solar radiation back into space —> this can have the cooling effect upon the earth.

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10
Q

what is albedo?

A

reflectivity

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11
Q

how long does the cooling effect last?

A

round a year until it stabalises

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12
Q

what is the cooling effect

A
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13
Q

what eruption happened in 1992? what did it cause?

A

Mt Pinatubo (Philippines)
- caused average global temperatures to decrease by 0.5 degrees celcius

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14
Q

a global warming impact can take place as a result of …

A

high amounts of greenhouse gases that are released during the eruptiom

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15
Q

what are sunspots?

A

small black dots/spots on the sun, that indicate a period of greater solar activity, where the sun is emitting more energy as light or heat than usual

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16
Q

how long does the sunspot cycle last for?

A

every 11 years

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17
Q

what are the Milankovitch cycles?

A

a cycle lasting over 100,000 years includes: Eccentricity, Axial tilt and Precession
- they alter the amount of sunlight received

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18
Q

what is eccentricity?

A

the earth’s orbit of the sun (the path is takes) changes between being circular and elliptical (oval shaped)

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19
Q

Orbital theory: what is axial tilt?

A

the earth’s rotational axis changes
- sometimes it’s vertical and sometimes it’s on a diagonal slant

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20
Q

Orbital theory: What is precession?

A

when sometimes the earth’s axis wobble like a spinning top

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21
Q

how long does eccentricity last for?

A

over 100,000 years

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22
Q

how long does axial tilt last for?

A

41,000 years

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23
Q

how long does precession last for?

A

19- 23,000 years

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24
Q

what does anthropogenic causes of climate change mean?

A

it means human causes of climate change

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25
Q

what are the 3 human causes of climate change?

A

fossil fuels, agriculture, deforestation

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26
Q

what are fossil fuels?

A

coal, gas and oil

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27
Q

How do fossil fuels effect climate change?

A

burning fossil fuels release CO2 and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere—> this causes more warming as more solar radiation is trapped in the atmosphere

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28
Q

what is agriculture?

A

farming and rearing cattle

29
Q

what are fossil fuels used for?(5)

A

transportation, building, heating homes, manufacturing industries, burnt in power stations to generate electricity

30
Q

what % do fossil fuels account for in majority of global green house gases?

A

over 50%

31
Q

why are levels of fossil fuels and CO2 increasing?

A

as the worlds population and wealth increases people are demanding for more energy —> this increases the level of fossil fuels and CO2

32
Q

how does agriculture effect climate change (2)?

A

1.contributes to approx 20% of green house gas emissions
2. produces large volumes of methane

33
Q

produce 2 ways methane is produced?

A
  1. cattle produce methane during digestion
  2. microbes produce it as they decay organic matter under the water of flooded rice paddy fields
34
Q

what is deforestation

A

the clearing of forests on a huge scale

35
Q

how much acres/ hectares of forest is lost each year according to United Nations Food and Agriculture Organistion?

A

an estimated 18 million acres/ 7.3 million hectares

36
Q

how does deforestation affect climate change?

A

during photosynthesis, trees absorb CO2 —> this reduces the amount of CO2 in atmosphere —> meaning enhanced greenhouse gases contribute to rapid climate change
- deforestation leaves fewer trees to absorb the CO2

37
Q

what happens when trees are slashed or burnt?

A

the CO2 that has been stored in the tree is released which contributes to climate change

38
Q

what is climate mitigation?

A

the efforts to cut or prevent emissions of greenhouse gases, limiting the magnitude of future farming

39
Q

what is climate adaptation?

A

methods which adjust the way we live to deal with the consequences of climate change

40
Q

give 4 mitigation strategies for climate change.

A
  1. alternative energy
  2. Carbon Capture and Storage
  3. Planting trees ( Afforestation)
  4. International Agreements
41
Q

what is the method of using alternative energy?

A

using renewable energy sources such as: wind, solar, tidal and nuclear energy
- mitigation

42
Q

what is an advantage of using alternative energy?

A

renewable energy doesn’t run out and is sustainable

43
Q

what is a disadvantage of using alternative energy?

A

most renewable energy relies on climate and day to day weather e.g solar

44
Q

what % does burning fossil fuels produce of CO2 emissions

A

87%

45
Q

what does nuclear power uses to generate electricity?

A

Uranium

46
Q

what % of electricity does the UK generate through renewable energy?

A

39%

47
Q

what is Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS)?

A

uses technology to capture CO2 produced by burning fossil fuels and buries it underground

48
Q

Explain the method of CCS?

A

1.Once CO2 is captured, the carbon gas is compressed and transported by pipeline to an injection well.
2. It is injected as a liquid into the ground to be suitable geological reservoirs such as sedimentary rocks as this prevents it from escaping

49
Q

who is the world leader in CCS?

A

the UK

50
Q

How much money could the UK save a year by meeting it’s climate target?

A

£30 billion

51
Q

How much CO2 can CCS capture?

A

up to 90%

52
Q

what are 2 disadvantages of CCS?

A
  • it is expensive
  • unclear if the CO2 remains underground
53
Q

what % of electricity does China get from burning coal?

A

80%

54
Q

what % of electricity does India get from burning coal?

A

70%

55
Q

what % of electricity does USA get from burning coal?

A

50%

56
Q

what is affroestation?

A

planting trees

57
Q

How does afforestation help reduce climate change?

A

trees acts as carbon sinks by removing CO2 from the atmosphere by photosynthesis

58
Q

how do trees have a cooling effect?

A

they release moisture into the atmosphere. This has a cooling effect by producing more cloud, reducing incoming solar radiation

59
Q

how much money has the US invested into reforestation? between what years?

A

$40 billion between 2010 and 2015
- could increase forest carbon storage by 28%

60
Q

what is an advantage of afforestation?

A

it reduces CO2 emissions

61
Q

what is a disadvantage of afforestation?

A

it is expensive

62
Q

what is international agreements?

A

world leaders coming together to form an agreement

63
Q

what was the Kyoto Protocol the 1st to become?

A

the first international treaty to become law
-2005

64
Q

what happened at the Kyoto Protocol

A

Over 170 countries agreed to reduce CO2 emissions by an average of 5.2% below their 1990 levels by 2012

65
Q

Kyoto Protocol: which countries refused to sign the treaty?

A

USA and Australia

66
Q

what was the Paris Agreement the first to become?

A

The first ever universal and legally binding global climate change deal
- 2015

67
Q

what are 2 outcomes of the Paris Agreement?

A
  • to keep global temperature increase below 2 degrees celcius and limited to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels
  • to review progress every 5 years
68
Q

what is a disadvantage of international agreements?

A

not allow countries fulfill their promises or participate at all

69
Q
A

Geography (14 decks)

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