natural climate change
DESCRIPTION
An introduction to NaturalTRANSCRIPT
11/9/12
❖ Xtranormal due today
❖ Project due Tomorrow
❖ Unit 6 Quizlet due Tuesday 11/20
❖ Be checking your grades
❖ Weekly Reporter
Review
❖ Explain the difference between weather and climate.
❖ Compare and contrast the major types of climate as described by the Koeppen system.
Objectives
❖ Describe natural processes that can affect earth’s climate.
❖ Understand the causes and effects of El Nino.
Question
❖ How do natural processes affect climate?
Climate Change
❖ Think: What have you heard about climate change?
❖ Pair
❖ Share
Climate Changes
❖ Natural changes in the Earth’s climate can be broken into two categories
❖ Short-term changes
❖ Long-term changes
Long-term changes
❖ Types of long-term climate changes
❖ Ice Ages
❖ Solar Activity
❖ Earth’s Orbit
Long-term changes❖ Ice Ages
❖ What is an ice age?
❖ Periods of time where glaciers cover large parts of Earth’s surface
❖ Earth alternates between ice ages (glacial periods) and warm periods (interglacial periods)
Long-term changes
❖ Ice Ages
❖ Last ice age ended 10,000 years ago
❖ Ice stretched as far south as Indiana
❖ Earth was on average 5 degrees C cooler
Long-term changes
❖ Solar Activity
❖ Periods of high activity have been connected to warmer temperatures on Earth
Long-term changes
❖ Earth’s Orbit
❖ Scientists believe that every 100,000 years the orbit of the Earth changes shape
❖ Brings the Earth closer to or further from the Sun
Short-term changes
❖ Short-term climate changes
❖ Seasons
❖ Volcanoes
❖ El Nino
Short-term changes
❖ Seasons
❖ I’m going to assume that you have this one
❖ Any questions about how a season is a short-term change?
Short-term changes
❖ Volcanoes
❖ How would the eruption of a volcano affect the Earth’s climate?
Short-term changes
❖ Volcanoes
❖ Eruptions release dust, smoke, and ash
❖ What do you think those things do to the amount of sunlight that reaches Earth?
Short-term changes
❖ Volcanoes
❖ Dust and ash released from a volcano blocks incoming sunlight
❖ Cooler temperatures on Earth have been connected to big volcanic eruptions
Short-term changes
❖ El Nino
❖ A short-term change in the water temperature of the Pacific Ocean
Short-term changes
❖ El Nino
❖ Normally winds push warm surface water towards Australia
❖ Because warm water is pushed away, cold water can rise near South America
❖ Fish like cold water
Short-term changes❖ El Nino
❖ Occasionally the winds switch direction
❖ Warm water gets pushed to South America
❖ Fish don’t like warm water
❖ Hurts the fishing industry
Short-term changes
❖ Effects of El Nino
❖ More rain and storms across South America
❖ Drought conditions in Australia and the South Pacific
❖ Stronger hurricane season in the Atlantic