Climate Vocab
What term describes the long-term changes in Earth’s temperature and weather patterns?
Climate change
What do we call a long period when Earth’s climate is much colder and large ice sheets cover continents?
Ice Age
What is the process of removing salt from seawater to make it drinkable?
Desalination
What frozen cores from glaciers help scientists study past climates?
Ice cores
What happens to global sea levels as glaciers and ice caps melt?
Sea levels rise
What is the name for the increase in Earth’s average global temperature?
Global warming
What is a glacial maximum?
(100 Bonus: when was the previous one?)
the coldest part of an ice age when ice sheets are at their largest
(20,000 years ago)
What method slowly delivers water through tubes directly to plant roots?
Drip irrigation
What natural record in trees helps scientists understand past climate conditions?
Tree rings
What is one major environmental consequence of climate change affecting weather patterns?
More extreme weather events such as storms, droughts, or heatwaves.
What do we call gases in the atmosphere that trap heat and warm the Earth?
Greenhouse gases
Why were sea levels about 120 meters lower during the last ice age?
Large amounts of water were locked up in glaciers and ice sheets.
What is hydroponics?
a farming method grows plants using water and nutrients instead of soil
What type of underground or ocean deposits can contain clues about past climates?
Sediment layers
What is cultured meat?
a type of lab-grown food designed to reduce the environmental impact of livestock farming
What is the albedo effect?
the measure of how much sunlight a surface reflects back into space
What land bridge once connected Asia and North America during the last ice age?
Beringia
Why is drip irrigation often more efficient than traditional irrigation?
It delivers water directly to plant roots and reduces waste.
What do scientists study in ice cores to learn about ancient atmospheres?
Trapped air bubbles
Why might cultured meat help reduce climate change?
It could reduce methane emissions from livestock and require fewer resources
What are Milankovitch cycles?
Changes in Earth’s orbit and tilt that affect how much sunlight reaches the planet
What natural orbital changes are one of the main causes of ice ages?
Milankovitch cycles
Why might countries with little freshwater rely on desalination plants?
Because they can produce freshwater from seawater.
Why are ice cores valuable for climate research?
They contain records of past temperatures and atmospheric gases.
Why are coastal cities especially vulnerable to climate change?
Rising sea levels and stronger storms can cause flooding and damage.