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Physical Geography 1000 > Climate and environmental change > Flashcards

Climate and environmental change Flashcards

(80 cards)

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1
Q

what 6 things are basic human needs for survival

A
  1. oxygen
  2. water
  3. food
  4. shelter
  5. clothing
  6. sanitation
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2
Q

what of the six basic human needs for survival are DIRECTLY threatened by climatic change

A
  1. water
  2. food
  3. sanitation
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3
Q

do human needs show the BEST connection to climate change and nature

A

NO - animals do nature decides what lives or dies

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4
Q

climate change

A

significant and long-lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over time

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5
Q

how can climate change be changed

A
  1. change in average weather condition
  2. distribution of events around that average
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6
Q

what kind of term is climate change

A

umbrella term

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7
Q

what does climate change encompass

A
  1. global warming = average temp warming
  2. paleoclimatology = study of past climates
  3. geological temp record/natural climate variability = long term changes
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8
Q

can climate change be natural

A

YES

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9
Q

weather vs climate

A

weather = observations in meteorological phenomena day to day (short term)

climate = observations in meteorological phenomena over long period of time

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10
Q

climate or weather forms an average

A

climate

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11
Q

climatology

A

study of climate

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12
Q

what is studied in climatology (specifics)

A
  1. climatic pattern
  2. consistent behaviour of weather
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13
Q

does climatology include effects of climate change on human society and culture

A

YES

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14
Q

is climate static

A

NO - dynamic (evolves)

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15
Q

how does climate show its static

A

it varies over time (temporal) and from one place to another (spatial)

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16
Q

how else can climate vary

A
  1. natural phenomena
  2. anthropogenic forcings
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17
Q

natural phenomena is a _______ (dominant short or long term) variation in climate

A

dominant long term

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18
Q

anthropogenic forcing is a _______ (dominant short or long term) variation in climate

A

dominant short-term

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19
Q

3 general categories of evidence to reconstruct the past climates

A
  1. meteorological/instrumental records
  2. historical records
  3. physical and biological records (paleoclimatology)
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20
Q

what general categories of evidence for past climates is this
was highly placed around large pops of people

A

meteorological/instrumental records

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21
Q

what general categories of evidence for past climates is this
the most accurate reading despite being limited and having huge gaps

A

meteorological/instrumental records

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22
Q

what general categories of evidence for past climates is this
things that have happened in the past (culture/food, art,literature)

A

historical records

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23
Q

what general categories of evidence for past climates is this
diatoms and other creatures have certain conditions that indicate they are thriving and others they don’t

A

physical/biological records

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24
Q

is time constant

A

nO

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25
what influences time
the mass of an object or its velocity (time dilation)
26
time
indefinite continuous process of existence and events in the past, present and future regarded as a whole
27
time needs a ____ in order to have an easier time understanding
reference point
28
what makes time scales meaningful
reference points
29
are time scales overly meaningful to science without a reference point
NO
30
what is our reference point
the age of the earth and its beginning
31
geologic timescale
breaks down time into meaningful time periods
32
what caused extinctions in the past
natural or punctuated events that lead to CLIMATIC changes
33
what period in the geological timescale are we in
Holocene
34
what does the Holocene period mark
the end of the last glacier max
35
9 different tools used in paleoclimatology
1. satellite data 2. instrument records 3. documentary records 4. tree rings 5. polar ice core 6. lake sediments 7. pollen 8. ocean cores 9. sedimentary rocks
36
satellite data resolution
1950s
37
instrument records resolution
200 years
38
documentary evidence resolution
1000 years
39
tree ring resolution
10 000 years
40
polar ice cores resolution
100 000
41
what do lakes transport
water and sediments
42
what happens to lakes over time
the sediments begin to build up and the lake fills up
43
are co2 levels and temp correlated
YES
44
as CO2 levels increase, temp _____
increases
45
as CO2 levels decrease, temp ____
decreases
46
glacial period
periods of time where continental ice sheets dominate polar areas
47
is this glacial or interglacial period last for about 100ka
glacial
48
is this glacial or interglacial periods 20 ka to 40 ka
interglacial
49
interglacial
periods of time when continental ice sheets retreated and it is relatively warm between glacial periods
50
four major glacials in NA
1. Wisconsinan glacial 2. Illinoian glacial 3. Kansan glacial 4. Nebraskan glacial
51
four major glacials in NA (youngest to oldest)
1. Wisconsinan glacial 2. Illinoian glacial 3. Kansan glacial 4. Nebraskan glacial
52
the Wisconsinan glacial period was followed by the ______ interglacial
Sangamonian
53
the Illinoian glacial period was followed by the ______ interglacial
Yarmouthian
54
the Kansan glacial period was followed by the ______ interglacial
Aftonian
55
the glacial periods in NA were named after _____
US states
56
The last major warm was in
the Pliocene
57
first major northern hemisphere glaciation began during the
Pleistocene
58
when did alternation of glacial and interglacial periods begin
about 2.4 MY ago
59
what is the GLOBAL TEMP DIFFERENCE between glacials and interglacials
5 degrees Celsius
60
glacial are _____ then interglacial
colder
61
interglacial is ______ then glacial
warmer
62
current interglacial period is called
the Holocene
63
when did the current interglacial period begin
10 to 12 thousand years ago
64
what were temps like in the Holocene 6500 years ago compared to present
2 degrees Celsius warmer
65
what is the Climatic Optimum
6500 years ago when temps in the Holocene were 2 degrees warmer then today
66
what was temp like in the Holocene from 2500 to 1200 BP compared to today
up to 1 degrees Celsius cooler
67
what is associated with the 0.5 degree Celsius warmer temps between 800 and 1200 AD
the Medieval warm period (when Vikings landed in NA and Greenland)
68
when did the Little Ice Age occur
from 1400 to 1850 AD
69
what were temps like in the Little Ice Age
up to 1 degree Celsius cooler than at present and had advances of glacier fronts
70
when did warming begin
late 19th century
71
when were peak temps reached
in the 1940s
72
when did temps begin to decline
1970s
73
sunspots vary in an _____ year cycle
11
74
Maunder Minimum date
1645 to 1715
75
Maunder Minimum
the sunspot activity was VERY LOW and global temps were COOLER
76
what are examples of LONG term climate change mechanisms
1. change in solar output 2. Milankovitch
77
what are examples of SHORT term climate change mechanisms
1. volcanoes 2. mountain barriers 3. changes in ocean currents
78
what are the perfect conditions for glacial periods
low seasonality in the NH
79
what grows ice sheets in NH
1. less summer insolation 2. low tilt 3. Aphelion in June (farthest away) 4. high eccentricity
80
what causes interglacial periods in NH
1. most incoming solar radiation and seasonality 2. high tilt 3. low eccentricity 4. aphelion in January (farthest)

Physical Geography 1000 (21 decks)

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