Changing Climate

• What is the Ice age?

  A period of time when Earth has permanent ice sheets
• Quaternary Period

  The time period in the earth's history that began about 2.6 million years ago and continues today
• Pleistocene Epoch

  First part of the Quaternary period - lasted from 2.6 million years ago to 11,700 years ago
• Holocene Epoch

  Second and current part of the Quaternary period - started 11,700 years ago
• Glacial Periods

  Colder periods that normally last about 100,000 years
• Interglacial periods

  Warmer periods which normally last about 10,000 years
• What are Ice Cores?

  Tubes of ice drilled out from the depth of an ice sheet
• What is Global warming?

  The maximum/minimum area of the Arctic Ocean covered in ice in any year
• What is meant by Eccentricity?

  Changes in the shape of the earth's orbit
• What is meant by Obliquity?

  Changes in how earth tilts on its axis
• What is meant by Precission?

  The amount Earth wobbles on it's axis
• What are sun spots?

  A temporary dark spot on the Sun's surface caused by magnetic storms
• What is the Natural Greenhouse effect?

  The natural process by which Earth is kept warm by gases that trap the Sun's energy in the atmosphere
• What are Greenhouse gases?

  Gases in the atmosphere, such as CO2, that acts like the glass roof on a greenhouse, increasing temperature
• What is the energy from the sun known as?

  The Sun's radiation
• What is the enhanced Greenhouse effect?

  The trapping of more of the Sun's energy because of the cumulative effect of greenhouse gases, causing Earth's temperature to increase
• What is 'Global Warming Potential'?

  When the same quantities of different gases trap and absorbdifferent amounts of radiation
• What is meant by deforestation?

  The removal of trees
• What are climate change refugees?

  People who are forced to leave their homes and communities because of the impacts of climate change
• What does thermal expansion mean?

  As the temperature of water in the oceans increases, the water expands making sea levels rise
• How do melting glaciers and ice caps contribute to sea level rise?

  As glaciers and ice caps melt, water that was stored as ice is added tp the world's oceans
• What is meant by yield?

  The amount of food grown per hectare
• What are species refugees?

  When species of animals move to different parts of the world e.g. butterflies moving north due to global warming