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What does the amount of CO2 in an ice core tell us about past climates?
how much gas there was can show how hot it was - higher CO2 equals higher temp
Which method of studying past climate can help us study data going back millions of years? What kind of information do we get when we use this method?
fossils - the fossils have animals and plants to tell us what the weather was like because of what types of plants and animals can live in that weather
What would a wide tree ring indicate about the year it formed?
it was hotter and more rainy
Choose one of the four major factors that contribute to climate change and explain it.
volcanic eruptions - the ash coves the sun rays and makes it colder
Which of the following is NOT a potential CAUSE of climate change? plate tectonics, volcanic eruptions, orbital changes, rise in sea-level
rise in sea-level
Which of the following is a possible RESULT of climate change? plate tectonics, warming temperature, orbital changes, volcanic eruptions
warming temperature
How much have global temperatures increased in the last 100 years?
1.0 degree Celsius
Graph - Explain the relationship shown on the graph.
As carbon dioxide levels have increased, temperature has increased with it.
Explain one way that orbital changes might change earth's climate.
orbital changes might change the climate because the tilt of the earth changes how much sun can get to parts of the earth
How are humans contributing to CO2 in the atmosphere? How can we reduce our carbon footprint?
by burning fossils fuels - drive less, turn off lights when you leave a room
How does volcanic activity contribute to climate change?
the ash blocks the sun and makes it colder
What happens to global temperatures as OC2 levels rise? Why?
It gets hotter because CO2 is a greenhouse gas.
Which is a greater factor in sea-level rise, land ice or sea ice? Explain your answer.
land ice because when it melts its putting new water into the ocean making it rise, sea-ice is already in the water
Explain one possible negative impact of global warming.
it could get to hot and melt the glaciers and when the glaciers melt it causes sea-level to rise
What are two ways that you could reduce greenhouse gases and slow the impact of global warming in Holt/Lansing?
burning less fossil fuels, washing clothes in a full load of laundry, carpool or ride bikes
What causes ocean acidification? Why is this problematic?
carbon dixiode gets into the ocean and causes acidic conditions which impact life in the ocean
List and briefly explain the 4 potential causes of climate change. Which are natural?
Plate tectonics (moving continents slowly to other weather areas, changes wind flow and currents), orbital changes (orbit tilt and wobble), human activity (adding to CO2), volcanic activity (ash in atmosphere reflects sun into space)
Of the 4 potential causes of climate change, which do humans contribute to?
Human activity, Burning fossil fuels and deforestation
Orbital Changes, can help explain that patterns that we saw with past climate change, what are the three facts we looked at about orbital changes? What do they mean?
Eccentricity the orbit is more elongated, prescession is the change in the orientation of the rotational axis, tilt is the angle of the earths axis
How far back do tree rings measure? How can you determine the age of the tree from using tree rings?
Up to 10,000 years
The number of rings can show the age
What are the 4 things you look for when interpreting graphs? What axis shows the independent variable? What axis shows the dependent variable?
Title, x-axis, y-axis, trend of data
x-axis
y-axis
What do thin tree rings tell you about climate? What do wide tree rings tell you?
Thin rings is Cooler temp and low moisture, wide rings is normal temp and higher moisture content
What are some limitations of using tree rings to determine past climates?
Most trees dont live for more then a few hundred years and they san be affected by disease insect infestation forest fires soil composition
If the earth’s climate warms up, what will that mean to:
Farming
Water supply
Sea levels
Polar Ice caps
Corals and shellfish
Populations of animals
Water supply - freshwater decreases
Sea levels - rising causing flooding
Polar Ice caps - melting causing sea levels to rise
Corals and shellfish - coral bleaching and softer shells make it harder to survive
Populations of animals - would not be able to survive in warmer areas
What were the four different measurements we used to look at past climates? Put the four things in order from longest length of time measured to shortest length of time measured.
Fossils, ice cores, sea-floor sediment, tree rings