7.1 Factors that affect climate change

Atmosphere

ATMOSPHERE: layer of gases that surrounds a planet or moon without which, days would be scorching hot or freezing cold.

How moving continents affect the climate: how do volcanic eruptions affect the climate?

Another way in which plate movement affects climate is by producing volcanic activity. Most volcanoes are located at the boundaries of tectonic plates - in these areas molten rock and gases from below Earth's crust rise up through cracks in the rock and spew into the air as volcanic eruptions. Scientists think that vol sonic activity helped form the atmosphere a an early stage in Earth's history. Volcanic eruptions spew ash and other particles into the atmosphere. These particles called AEROSOLS reflect solar radio ton and have a cooling effect on the global climate. They also scatter light and cause brilliantly red sunsets, the effect may last from a few years to several decades until the particles are removed from the atmosphere by precipitation and settling Some volcanic eruptions like 1815 eruption of Tambora, Philippines followed by a year without summer but volcanic eruptions can also raise global temps by releasing greenhouse gases.

How atmosphere affects climate: how do winds affect precipitation?

As air masses of different densities move across Earth's surface, they interact. When air masses meet, one air mass usually rises over the other. The rising air cools and any water vapour in the air condenses to form precipitation. Winds also affect precipitation through JET STREAMS. Jet streams are high-altitude winds that travel long distances at very high speeds. These winds may carry warm, moist air, which can produce precipitation in areas far from the origin of the jet stream. They may also carry dry, cool air, which causes dry weather in areas affected by the jet stream Canadas weather is particularly influenced by the polar jet stream.

How the Hydrosphere Affects Climate: how does ice and snow reflecting heat effect the climate? What is albedo?

Because of their light colour, snow and ice reflect solar radiation, the fraction of energy energy that is reflected by a surface is known as albedo. ALBEDO: the fraction of incident light or electromagnetic radiation that is reflected by he surface of an object, such as from Ear back into space; an object's ability to reflect sunlight The amount of energy reflected or absorbed depends largely on the colour of the surface. Light coloured surfaces reflect energy, and dark absorb energy, the ocean surface reflects about 7% of solar energy. By contrast, a field covered by fresh snow can reflect as much as 80%-90% of the solar energy that hits it. Because of their large differences in albedo, the distribution of water, ice and land on Earths surface greatly affects the average global temp.

Climate

CLIMATE: the average conditions of the atmosphere over a period of several years over a large region Climate of Canada differs greatly from climates of Ecuador or Indonesia Climates have changed over billions of years of earths history: ice age etc.

How has Earth's eccentricity affected the length and intensity of the seasons? Explain.

ECCENTRICITY: because of the gravitational attraction of other planets in the solar system, Earth's orbit fluctuates over a cycle of about 100 000 years. It's path around the sun changes very slowly from being almost circular to being more elliptical (lopsided but still on flat plane) and then back again. When Earth's orbit is more elliptical the planet receives a lot more solar radiation when it is nearest to the sun than it does when it is farthest from the sun, when the orbit is more circular, the amount of solar radiation varies less throughout the year. These differences affect the length and intensity of the seasons.

How does the Earth move in space? Why is this important?

Earth rotates every 24 hours around its axis (an imaginary line running from the north to south poles). While continuously rotating on its axis, Earth makes a year-long trip around the sun, throughout this orbit, Earth stays in the same orbital plane as if it were traveling on a flat surface. Earth's axis of rotation is tilted at an angle of about 23.5 degrees from a line perpendicular to the orbital plane . The combo of the annul orbit around the sun and its tilted axis produces seasons.

How do moving continents affect climate? What is a tectonic plate? What does this effect? What also effects the climate (land feature) ?

Earths outer layer is composed of massive pieces of solid rock - TECTONIC PLATES: a piece of Earth's outer shell (the lithosphere) that moves around on the slowly flowing underlying rock layer (the asthenosphere) Earth has about 12 major plates that move a few centimetres per year carrying the continents with them. As a result, the shapes of the oceans and continents are always changing, the changing distribution of land and water affects patterns if air and water circulation and the transfer of thermal energy around the world. The formation of mountain chains also affect the pattern of wind and precipitation around the globe

What is the biggest factor that effects climate on earth? How?

Energy from the sun is the most important factor that affects climate on Earth. Solar energy travels through space as light and heat. The intensity of energy that reaches Earth's surface affects the temp. Of: Air, water and land on our planet. This heat produces winds, rain, and other aspects of climate etc. The amount of solar energy that reaches the Earths surface depends on changes in solar activity, the shape of the planet and on Earth's angle of tilt and orbit around the sun

What is the hydrosphere? How does it affect climate?

HYDROSPHERE: the collective mass of water found on, under, and over the surface of Earth in the form of liquid, water, ice and water vapour. Together with the atmosphere, water transfers heat from one part of the planet to the other

According to some scientist, what has been the main cause of climate change in the past? Explain

Scientists have proposed that variation in solar output have been the main cause of climate change in the past. The sun appears unchanging but in reality it varies in the amount of radiation it produces. If you measure solar radiation you will see irregular fluctuation soccer in the amount of energy produced by the sun. In addition, a more regular solar cycle (SUNSPOT CYCLE) happens about every 11 years - the solar variations differ by about 0.1%

How does latitude effect climate and seasons? What creates the change of temp with seasons?

Since the Earth has a curved shape and the Suns Ray's strike the planets surface at different angles, some places on the Earth are hotter than others. The amount of surface area illuminated by a ray of sunlight by the equator is much more than that which is illuminated by the sun light Ray hitting the earth 45 degrees south and by the Ray at the North Pole. The Suns light rays striking the equator are perpendicular to its surface while at a latitude 45 degrees south, the Suns Ray's strike the surface at angle. Because of this angle, the energy of the Rays is spread over a larger area (nearly 1.5 times as large as the area on the equator) therefore, each square meter of Earths surface at latitude 45 degrees absorbs only about two thirds as much energy as the same area absorbs on the equator. At the poles, the Ray of sunlight is spread over an even larger area. Because each square meter receives less Olaf energy the surface near the poles heats up much less than the surface at the equator. If earth wasn't tilted relative to the sun, the average temp. At diff latitudes would remain the same throughout the year. Earth's tilt in its axis combined with its orbit creates the change of temp with the seasons.

How has Earths tilt changed over _________ period of years? What does the effect?

The angle of the Earth's tilt on its axis changes by approx. 2.4 degrees over a period of about 41 000 greater the tilt is , the greater the temp. Differences are between summer and winter, currently, Earth is tilted at about 23.44 degrees or roughly half way between its extremes. The angle is slowly decreasing

How does the atmosphere effect climate? Where is it located? What is it composed of? What is the greenhouse effect? What does it help to do? STUDY DIAGRAM PG. 273

The atmosphere extends from Earth's surface up yo about 569 km into space. It is composed main,y of the gases: nitrogen (N2) and oxygen (O2) as well as water vapour (H2O) and very smal, concentrations of other gases and particles of solids, Earths atmosphere absorbs thermal energy from the Sun and thermal energy that is emitted by Earths surface. This process is called the greenhouse effect. GREENHOUSE EFFECT: the natural warming caused when gases in Earth's atmosphere absorb thermal energy that is radiated by the Sun and Earth. The greenhouse effect is a natural part of Earths climate system. This process bella to keep Earths temp. Fluctuations within a certain range. Without this process, most of the solar energy reaching Earth would be radiated back into space, and the average temp. At the planet's surface would be about 34 degrees Celsius lower than it is today

How Earths atmosphere affects climate: how do winds move ocean currents? STUDY MAP OF PREVAILING GLOBAL WIN PATTERNS AND OCEAN CURRENTS PG 274

The movement of currents at the surface of the oceans is driven by winds blowing over the water, you can see this effect if you blow gently across the surface of warm soup in a wide bowl. Energy from the moving air is transferred to the surface of the water, which causes the water to move. Because the oceans absorb energy from the Sun, movement of the water results in the transfer of heat around the Earth's surface. Winds blow in fairly constant directions around the world. These air currents are known as PREVAILING WINDS.

How the Hydrosphere affects climate: how doe oceans and lakes act as heat reservoirs? What is specific heat capacity?What does this effect?

The oceans can hold much more heat than the atmosphere can - the top 2.3 meters of the world's oceans hold as much heat as all of the planet's air does. As a result, the oceans act as 'heat reservoirs' that buffer temp. Changes in the atmosphere. Large bodies of water influence climate because water has a large specific heat capacity compared with other substances. SPECIFIC HEAT CAPACITY: the amount of heat required to raise the temp. Of one gram of a substance by one degrees Celsius. Because water has a large specific heat capacity, a large quantity of energy is needed in order to raise ITS temp. Compared to the energy needed to change the temp. Of the land. As a result, the temp. Of large bodies of ate tends to change slowly and by small amounts. The to. Of land masses changes more quickly and by larger amounts.

How does Human activity affect the climate? How can we assume it's humans? What is anthropogenic?

The solar variations, volcanic activity, moving continents, meteorites and wobbling planet can produce and explain climate changes in the past but can't explain the warming trend that's been happening on Earth since the 1970s. There is growing evidence that this present change is climate is partly ANTHROPOGENIC: relating to or resulting from the influence of humans Human technology is having an effect on the atmosphere because for centuries a major source of energy used by people has been burning fossil fuels like coal, oil. And natural gas. In the late 1700s, a rapid increase occurred in the rate at which new machines were invented and new methods of transportation and manufacturing were adopted. All these new inventions and processes demanded fossil fuels power them. This period was called the INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION. From the 1700s to present, technologies that burn fossil fuels fees and spread around the world - trains, automobiles, shops factoids, aircrafts, farming and mining equipment, home furnaces and electricity generating stations are only a few examples of technologies that use fossil fuels. When these fuels are burned to release energy, they relies gases and other pollutants into the atmosphere as waste products. As humans used more and more fossil fuels, the concentration of these gases in the atmosphere increased. Many of these gasses affect the natural processes that produce the greenhouse effect.

Which theory was proposed to help explain the changes in? What does this theory help/not hell do? What were the three factors to this theory?

Throughout history, Earth's orbit, tilt and rotation varied slightly in repeating cycles. In the early 1900s, it was calculated that these variations changed the amount and location of solar radiation reaching the earth. The theory proposed is that these changes in solar intensity produced changes in the climate. While the theory does help describe large patterns of climate change over a long time scale, it doesn't fully explain all of the recent changes that have been observed and measured using other evidence. Three factors to the theory: eccentricity, tilt, wobble

Weather

WEATHER: The condition of the atmosphere at a specific time in a specific place is called the WEATHER. Weather describes factors like wind, temp. And amount of moisture in the atmosphere. In Canada we experience weather in the cycle of seasons

How Earths atmosphere affects climate: what is wind? How do winds disperse energy through the Earths atmosphere?

Win is he movement of air from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure. All winds begin as a result of uneven heating of Earth's surface. Warm air expands and rises in an area of low pressure, wind, air cools and sinks in an area of high pressure, wind. This movement of air as wind transfers thermal energy around the world from warm areas to cool areas. In addition, the movement of air affects ocean currents and precipitation patterns.

What does the Earths wobble effect and determine? What is this change known as?

Wobble: because earth isn't a perfect sphere it wobbles slightly ad it rotates on its axis. This wobble affects the smoking and intensity of solar energy that is received by the northern and Southern Hemisphere at diff. Times of the year. This variation determines whether the two hemispheres have similar contrasts between the seasons or whether one hemisphere has greater temp. Differences between seasons than the other hemisphere does? The Earth's change in the direction of the axis of rotation is known as precession.