Global Temperature Rise
What is happening to the Earth's average temperature?
It's rising
What part of the planet absorbs most of the heat?
The ocean.
What large frozen areas in Greenland and Antarctica are melting?
Ice sheets.
What mountain ice is getting smaller due to warming?
Glaciers
What frozen layer in the Arctic is thinning and shrinking?
Sea ice
What has gone up by about 2°F (1.1°C) since 1880?
Global temperature.
What happens to oceans as the planet gets hotter?
They thermally expand.
What process causes ice sheets to add to sea level rise?
Melting and ice loss.
What do scientists call glaciers moving backward?
Glacial retreat.
What type of extreme weather is worsened by warmer oceans?
Hurricanes
What do scientists use to show the Earth is getting warmer?
Historical temperature records.
What ocean change can hurt fish and coral?
Warming waters.
What tool do scientists use to monitor ice sheet loss from space?
Satellites
What seasonal snow trend shows warming climates?
Earlier snow melting
What kinds of disasters are increasing due to climate change?
Floods, fires, and heatwaves
What long-term change means Earth is heating up?
Global warming.
What holds more heat—air or water?
Water
What part of Antarctica is one of the fastest shrinking, west or east ice sheet?
West Antarctic Ice Sheet.
What’s happening to spring snowpack in many regions?
It's declining in concentration/mass
What pattern shows Arctic sea ice is melting each summer?
Long-term decline in sea ice over several decades
What do NASA and NOAA use to track climate change?
Bar or line graphs.
What happens to coral when the ocean warms?
They bleach and lose their color as algae leaves.
What long-term trend in polar ice shows evidence of warming?
Shrinking ice sheets.
What long-term change affects water supplies and ecosystems?
Decreased snow cover.
What is one reason scientists say extreme weather is happening more often?
Global warming (could have multiple answers)