Lesson1
You look out the window to see if it is raining today. Are you checking the weather or the climate?
Weather
Clouds reflect sunlight back into space like a mirror. Does this cool the Earth down or warm it up?
Cool it down.
Edmonton is further north than Vancouver, making its winters much colder. Which geographical factor causes this?
Latitude
Burning fossil fuels in cars and factories releases extra greenhouse gases, causing this global problem.
Global warming or climate change
Buying food from local farmers helps the environment because it reduces emissions from this action.
Transportation
Hawaii is usually warm and tropical every summer. This describes Hawaii's what?
Climate
Carbon dioxide and methane act like a warm blanket around Earth. What group of gases do they belong to?
Greenhouse gases
Cities are often warmer than the countryside because roads and concrete trap heat. What is this effect called?
Urban heat island effect.
When a big volcano erupts, ash blocks the Sun and causes global temperatures to do this.
Cool down
Why are polar bears finding it harder to hunt for food as the climate warms?
Sea ice melting.
These are the three main things that work together to make Earth a habitable home for plants, animals, and humans.
The Sun, the Atmosphere, and Earth's Systems
Without greenhouse gases trapping heat, Earth would be freezing cold and look like this round winter object.
Frozen snowball
Banff is cooler than Calgary even though they are close together. What factor makes mountain areas like Banff cooler?
Higher altitude
A huge space rock hit Earth 66 million years ago, kicking up dust and blocking sunlight. What animals went extinct?
Dinosaurs.
If Alberta gets too hot and dry for wheat, farmers can switch to these crops that handle heat better.
Corn or soybeans
Farmers check 30-year average weather patterns to help them decide what to do. What does climate help farmers choose?
Which crops to plant
Ice and snow at the North and South Poles cool the planet by doing this to sunlight.
Vancouver has mild, wet winters because it sits right next to this large body of water.
Pacific Ocean
Dark spots on the Sun mean the Sun is giving off less energy. What are these dark spots called?
Sunspots
This special watering method saves water by dripping it directly onto plant roots.
Drip irrigation
If Earth lost its atmosphere, heat would escape into space and we would lose this type of climate that supports life.
Habitable Climate
If polar ice melts, less sunlight gets reflected away. What happens to Earth's climate balance?
It gets disrupted/warms up
Land heats up faster than water. Why does Calgary have hotter summers and colder winters than Vancouver?
It is farther away from the ocean.
Earth experienced natural Ice Ages every 100,000 years mainly because of natural changes in Earth's what?
Hotter and drier weather in Alberta leads to more of these dangerous events that pollute our summer air with smoke.
Forest fires/wildfires