Climate
What is weather?
Weather is the day-to-day conditions of the atmosphere (e.g. temperature, rain, wind).
What is an ice age?
An ice age is a long period when Earth is much colder and large areas are covered by ice.
Which gas is most commonly linked to climate change?
Carbon dioxide (CO₂).
What happens to glaciers when Earth gets warmer?
Glaciers melt.
What is the atmosphere?
The atmosphere is the layer of gases surrounding Earth.
What is climate?
Climate is the average weather conditions of a place over many years.
What is a warm period?
A warm period is a time when Earth's average temperature is higher than during an ice age.
Name one human activity that releases carbon dioxide.
Examples include burning coal, oil or gas, driving petrol or diesel vehicles, flying, or running factories.
What happens to sea levels as ice melts?
Sea levels rise.
What are greenhouse gases?
Greenhouse gases are gases that trap heat in the atmosphere (e.g. carbon dioxide and methane).
Give one example of weather and one example of climate.
Weather example: "It is raining today." Climate example: "Zambia has warm summers."
What is meant by a climate cycle?
A climate cycle is the natural pattern of warm periods and ice ages over very long periods of time.
What is the greenhouse effect?
The greenhouse effect is the process where greenhouse gases trap heat in Earth's atmosphere.
Name two extreme weather events linked to climate change.
Any two: heatwaves, droughts, floods, stronger storms, wildfires.
Define climate change.
Climate change is a long-term change in Earth's average climate.
Why can you not describe a place's climate after only one day?
Because climate is measured over many years, not from the weather on a single day.
Name two types of evidence scientists use to study past climates.
Any two: ice cores, tree rings, fossils, sediment layers.
Why does cutting down forests contribute to climate change?
Trees absorb carbon dioxide. Fewer trees means more carbon dioxide stays in the atmosphere, increasing the greenhouse effect.
How can climate change affect animals and plants?
Habitats change, food sources decrease, migration patterns change, and some species become endangered or extinct.
What is scientific evidence?
Scientific evidence is information collected through observations and investigations that supports scientific explanations.
A city has had hot, dry summers for the last 40 years. Is this weather or climate? Explain your answer.
Climate, because it describes a long-term pattern of weather over 40 years rather than day-to-day conditions.
Explain why scientists say Earth's climate has changed naturally throughout history.
Evidence such as ice cores, fossils and tree rings shows that Earth has naturally alternated between warm periods and ice ages over millions of years.
Explain how burning fossil fuels leads to global warming.
Burning fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide traps more heat in the atmosphere, strengthening the greenhouse effect and causing Earth's average temperature to rise.
Explain how one change in climate can lead to several other environmental problems.
Example: Higher temperatures → glaciers melt → sea levels rise → increased coastal flooding. (Other logical chains are acceptable.)
Name three sources of evidence scientists use to study past climates and explain why each is useful.
Ice cores (show past atmospheric gases), tree rings (show yearly climate conditions), fossils (show past environments), sediment layers (show past climate changes). Any three with an explanation.