Changing Climate Flashcards
Explain why the impact of future climate change is likely to be more severe in developing countries then in the UK
Poorer countries don’t have the money to educate their people and make them aware of necessary actions
They have less money to prepare for the changes
Bangladesh has lots of land that is on or near sea level on the delta of the River Ganges which makes flooding frequent if climate change was to happen and the sea levels were to rise summer Bangladesh a bit would be a permanent the underwater this would mean many people have become climate change refugees
and crops be killed because many people are subsistent farmers the death of their crops could meen they could starve
Explain why the U.K.’s climate may change in the future
Climate could Change because of green house gases, carbon dioxide released from fossil fuels can warm up the UK
Or
When volcanoes erupt they emit Dust and gases such as Sulphur dioxide into that must fear this absorbs incoming so the radiation which causes the earth to cool for example Mount Pinatubo in 1991
Together:
Every 11 years there are cycles of sunspots ,these show that there is an increased of solar activity which causes the planet to be warmer, however if in the future there are less sun spots this means the the UK will be cooler
There could be a change in the earths orbit and rotation, this would lead to a change in the amount of solar energy the earths surface receives (less energy would lead to a lower temperature and vice versa)
What is the quaternary period?
A period of colder temperatures leading to expanding ice sheets covering much of Europe Asia and North America. it is from 400,000 years ago to the present
When was the last Ice age and what was it called?
The last major cold period, The Pleistocene started 1.8 million years ago and ended just 10,000 years ago .
When was the Holocene period?
After the Pleistocene period ended so 10,000 years ago to the present
What do the Pleistocene and Holocene make up?
The Quaternary Period
Outline the natural causes of climate change
Volcanic eruptions
variations in solar output
The Earths orbital and rotation changes
Describe the natural causes of climate change
Orbital Changes-changes in how the earth moves around the sun are believed to cause ice ages according to Milankovitch, a physicist the shape of the earths orbit changes over a period of 100,00 (an orbital eccentricity) - this changes how much sunlight we receive.
Solar Output- sunspots are darker areas on the suns surface , they are a sign of greater solar activity which could increase temperature , they come and go in cycles of about 11 years
Volcanic Eruptions- large eruptions lead to a brief period of global cooling as they emit large quantities of dusting gases such as sofa dioxide these courses of block out or absorbed in coming so the radiation which Leeds the to earth to cool ę.g Mount Pinatubo , 1991
What was the Little ice age?
It was a from 1300-1870.When the world was at least a degree colder than it is today
What were the social impacts of the Little Ice Age?
Because winters were colder and longer so the growing season was reduced , many people starved because of crop failure
The price of grain increased almost everywhere leading to revolt
People enjoyed Ice Skating competitions and fairs in the Thames
What were the Environmental Impacts of the Little Ice Age?
The Baltic Sea Froze Over and the Thames
Sea Ice Reached as South as Iceland.
Winters were colder and longer, so the growing season was reduced by several weeks
There was widespread crop failure
Glaciers advanced In the Alps
What was the impact of our last ice age?
The Pleistocene ice age caused the extinction of mega fauna.
The extinction of certain large animals was thought to be caused due to their inability to adapt to new conditions.
Because many plants and animals would’ve died out , this affected the food chain causing the mega fauna who are were near the top of the food chain to starve from lack of food and die out
Some say humans hunted mega fauna to their death
How are greenhouse gasses causing modern climate change?
When plants respire are they take in carbon dioxide, while releasing oxygen .
Burning forests to clear land produces carbon dioxide
reducing the number of trees lowers the ability of the earth to absorb carbon dioxide
The burning of fossil fuels E.g Oils And gas releases greenhouse gasses.
Fossil fuels need to be burnt for energy supply, when they are burnt to produce electricity (such as the burning of coal )
Carbon dioxide is also released when fossil fuels (oil) are burnt for transport
Methane released by cattle producing gas is a major contributor to carbon footprint .
What is the greenhouse effect?
When greenhouse gasses retain the heat from the sun that would otherwise be affected from the earth back into space without them to plan it will be too cold to support life
What is the enhanced greenhouse effect and how can it cause of climate change?
Enhanced greenhouse effect , is when too much greenhouse gases are in the atmosphere so too much heat from the sun is being retained which increases the temperature of the planet
