Climate Change
Ch. 12 Study Guide
1. Identify 2 physical features and explain
how they influence the climate.
Latitude
Elevation
2. List 2 geographic features and explain
how they influence the climate of an area.
Geographic features
1. Mountains
• Precipitation
– Rain shadow
• Wind
2. Oceans
• Humidity
• Temperature- moderator
3. Lakes
• Snow
3. What is the significance of growth rings in
trees as indicators of environmental change?
• Indicate weather
– Shows the amount of growth
per year
• Rings close together= cold
climate
• Rings far apart = warm climate
4. What is the significance of ice cores from
glaciers as indicators of environmental change?
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Dust forms a layer each year
Scientists can count layers
Dark layer=winter
Light layer=summer seasons
Air bubbles- CO2 is high
during warm temperatures
5. What is the significance of geologic sediments as
indicators of environmental change?
• Shells of organism spiral in one direction during
warm weather and the other direction during cold
weather
• If shell has lots of Oxygen then the temperature
was more cold
6.What is the significance of glacial sediments
and landforms as evidence for climate change?
• Glacier= cold climate
• Glacier melts releasing dirt
• Dirt is blown by the wind
to nearby areas
• Glacial dirt then indicates
that area was close to or
covered by a glacier
7. What is the significance of fossil pollen as
evidence for climate change?
• Certain types of trees
grow during certain
temperatures
• Trees release pollen
• Pollen layers then give
clues to what the
temperature was like
• The thickness of the
layer can indicate how
long that time period
lasted.
8. What is the Earth’s axial tilt? How are the
Earth’s seasons related to the axial tilt?
• Tilt=23.5 º
• During the summer we are
point toward the sun thus we
have warmer temperatures
• During the winter we are
tilted away from the sun so
we have colder temperatures.
9. What is the shape of the Earth’s orbit?
How does the shape influence climate?
• Earth’s orbit is
elliptical
• During the summer
the earth is closer to
the sun thus warmer
temperatures
• During the winter the
earth is farther away
from the sun, thus
cooler temperatures
10. Explain how ocean currents affect
regional and global climate?
• Regional
– Cold current causes colder weather
– Warm current causes warmer weather
• Global
– Ocean water travels from colder north
to the warmer south
• thermohaline circulation– Cold salty water sinks, flows south and
slowly warms, warm water is then push
north and slowly sinks-thus a cycle is
formed
– If the circulation stops then an ice age
will slowly begin
12. How is the Earth’s climate influenced by:
• Plate Movements
– Ice sheets only form on land close to the
north or south pole
• The more ice sheets the cooler the
climate
– Land has a lower heat capacity, as the
land moves to where is gets more sun
then the temperature also increases
– Changes the position of the continents
• Currents tend to hug along continents
so as the continents move so do the
currents
12. How is the Earth’s climate
influenced by:
• Ocean Currents
• Water has a higher heat capacity if the ocean is
receiving most of the sun light then the
temperature remains more consistent
• Thermohaline circulation, ocean conveyor belt
Circulates the oceans water
13. What is the relationship between
carbon dioxide and global temperature?
• As carbon dioxide
increases the global
temperature increases
as well
14. Explain why/how carbon dioxide
effects global temperature.
• Carbon dioxide acts like a greenhouse wall it
allows heat and sun to come in but it does not
allow it back out thus causing an increase in
global temperature
15. List 5 causes of global warming.
• Greenhouse gases
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CO2- carbon dioxide
CH4- methane
H20- water
Nitrogen Oxides- burning
fossil fuels, ex. Gasoline,
coal
Volcanoes
Cutting down forests
Factories
Cars
Aerosol cans
16. List at least 4 effects of global
warming.
• ice caps melting
• Global temperature increasing
thus changing growing and crop
seasons
• Animals losing their habitat
• Ocean currents changing