Factors that affect climate
Explain the difference between climate and weather.
Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area. Weather describe the short-term conditions in an area.
What are global prevailing winds?
Winds that blow in a specific direction over long distances.
What natural factors affect climate change?
Shifting continents, solar activity, volcanic eruptions.
Explain three issues on Earth that are the impact of rising temperatures.
1. rising sea levels - loss of habitat
2. polar regions melting - loss of habitat and hunting ground for polar bears and rising sea level
3. Global warming heats up Earth. Organisms cannot adapt that quickly to survive
What are fossil fuels?
Substances formed from the remains of organisms
Why might coastal plant life be greener and plentiful where further inland there could be a desert?
The ocean may regulate the coastal climate by providing moisture and absorbing more heat. Inland does not have the ocean for the regulation.
How do prevailing winds develop?
Unequal heating of Earth's surface.
How do the time scales for changes due to volcanic eruptions compare with those due to continental shifts?
Changes due to shifting continents are slow, changes due to volcanic eruptions are sudden
In which two ways can living organisms respond to a changing climate?
Adapt or die
the sudden or gradual change in Earth's climate is called?
Climate change
1. Latitude
2. Altitude
3. Distance from Large Bodies of Water
4. Ocean currents
How do mountain ranges affect precipitation?
What might happen to climate if, over a period of time, there is less solar radiation and fewer volcanic eruptions than usual?
How might a living organism quickly adapt to a changing climate?
Move to a different habitat, eat different organisms if their main food source dies.
What do we call water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide in the atmosphere?
greenhouse gases
Explain how altitude affects climate.
The higher the land is above the surface the lower the temp will be. Temp decreases as altitude increases.
How do climate factors affect temperature patterns in California?
We have temperate temperatures based on our latitude. We're at sea level, altitude does not change it. Temp is warmer here in winter and cooler in summer because I am close to large bodies of water that are affected by ocean currents.
Explain 3 human activities that contribute to greenhouse gases.
1. mining and burning fossil fuels - puts CO2 in air
2. raising livestock - Puts CO2 and methane in air
3. Deforestation - less trees to take CO2 out of air
What are some ways governments can play a role in dealing with climate change?
They can pass legislation to reduce carbon emissions & provide funding for scientists to engineer new solutions to deal with climate change effects.
Give the definition of global warming.
The gradual increase in temperature of the Earth.
Explain how latitude affects climate.
The further away from the equator you are the colder the climate will be. Suns rays hit Earth more directly at the equator than at the poles.
What are the main factors that affect the amount of precipitation in an area?
prevailing winds, presence of mountains, and seasonal winds
Why are greenhouse gases and the greenhouse affect concerning to scientists?
Continued addition of the greenhouse gases can cause major changes to Earth's climate including the greenhouse effect where these gases will trap heat and warm the Earth more.
How could using alternative energy sources help slow the process of global warming?
They don't require fossil fuels or release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
What do we call the long-term weather pattern in an area?
Climate