Weather vs Climate
This describes the atmosphere over a short period of time.
What is weather?
The closer a place is to the equator, the ______ it usually is.
What is warmer?
Burning coal and oil for energy.
What is a human cause?
Burning fossil fuels releases this gas.
What is carbon dioxide (CO₂)?
A feedback loop can increase or decrease climate ______.
What is change?
This describes long-term patterns over many years.
What is climate?
Higher elevation usually means ______ temperatures.
What is cooler?
Changes in Earth’s orbit around the Sun.
What is a natural cause?
Cars and factories contribute to this.
What is climate change/global warming?
Melting ice causes less sunlight to be ______ back into space.
What is reflected?
“Today it is raining” is an example of this.
What is weather?
These move warm and cold water around Earth.
What are ocean currents?
Cutting down forests.
What is a human cause?
Cutting down forests removes trees that absorb this gas.
What is carbon dioxide?
Less ice causes Earth to absorb more ______.
What is heat/sunlight?
“Florida is usually warm year-round” is an example of this.
What is climate?
This climate factor measures distance from the equator.
What is latitude?
Changes in the amount of energy coming from the Sun.
What is a natural cause?
Human activities mainly increase these in the atmosphere.
What are greenhouse gases?
This type of feedback loop increases warming.
What is positive feedback?
The main difference between weather and climate.
What is short-term vs long-term conditions?
A mountain city is cooler than a nearby beach city because of this factor.
What is elevation?
Factory pollution and car exhaust are examples of this type of climate cause.
What are human causes?
Name one way humans can reduce climate change.
Examples: use renewable energy, plant trees, reduce fossil fuel use, recycle
Explain how melting ice creates a feedback loop.
Ice melts → less sunlight reflected → more heat absorbed → more warming → more ice melts.