Download Climate

Bell Quiz
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1. The Earth has seasons because it
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A) Is closer to the sun in the summer than
the winter.
B) Has a tilted axis
C) Has a moon
D) Has chemicals that cause the air to warm
or cool depending upon what time of the
year it is.
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2. What is the angle of the tilt of the Earth?
A) 35˚
 B) 23.5 ˚
 C) 15.5 ˚
 D) 55.3 ˚
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3. The earth is closest to the sun when?
A) Spring
 B) Summer
 C) Fall
 D) Winter
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4. The longest day of the year occurs
when?
A) Spring
 B) Summer
 C) Fall
 D) Winter
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5. Why do we have daylight savings?
A) Phases of the moon
 B) Orbit around the sun
 C) Someone suggested the idea
 D) International time clocks don’t match
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Climate
Transfer of heat
Radiation
 Conduction
 Convection
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Conduction – Transfer of heat through
direct contact
Example Lizard sitting on a rock
 Metal/plastic plate demo - They are the same
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temperature, but the metal plate feels colder because it is
transferring heat from your hand through conduction.
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Convection – Transfer of
heat through the movement
of a fluid (liquid or gas)
Examples : blowing on your
food to cool it down,
convectional oven, sea
breezes
Convection currents – warm
air rises and cools air sinks
Reasons for climate change
Latitude
 Earth on an Axis
 Topography
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Latitude
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Affects the amounts of solar radiation per
unit area. Earth is tilted on an axis. 23.5˚
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Angle of insolation : Angle at which the
sun’s radiation hits earth.
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link
Earth on an axis: 23.5˚
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Causes the seasons; tilt of the earth.
Summer solstice
June 22-23 – N Hemisphere tilted toward
the sun.
 Receives the most direct sun
 Warm temps even though we are furthest
away from the sun
 Longest day of the year
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September Equinox (autumn)
September 22-23
 Equator faces the sun directly
 All areas of the earth experience 12 hours
of daylight and 12 hours of darknesss
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Winter Solstice
December 22-23
 Southern Hemisphere tilted toward the sun
 Earth is closest to the sun, but Northern
half is cold; less solar radiation
 Shortest day of the year
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March Equinox (Spring)
March 20-21
 Solar radiation equal in both hemispheres
 link
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Love, Stargirl
Daylight Savings
Ben Franklin - link
 States not observed – Hawaii, Arizona
 Allows longer daylight in the summer
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Topography
Near Water – specific heat
 Rain Shadow 
1. Tropical
High Temperature and Rainfall
 Places near the equator
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2. Dry Climate
30% of crust
 Vegetation and rainfall scarce
 Deserts
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3. Mild
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Humid subtropical, marine west coast,
Mediterranean
4. Continental
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Midwest, great lakes, sub arctic
5. Polar
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Cold, Arctic, Antarctic
6. High Elevation
High Mountains
 Andes, Himalayas
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Lung Adjustments
Microclimates
Localized climate that differs from the
main regional climate
 North Side vs. South Side of the building
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Climate Change
Ice Age
 Natural Causes
 Human Impact
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ICE AGE
Global cooling –
 Earth’s cycles back and forth from ice
ages to warm climate every 10,000 years.
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Natural Causes
Orbit Changes
 Earth’s wobble
 Solar activity
 Volcanoes
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Orbital Changes
Wobble – every
21,000-100,000
years reverses
seasons
 Milankovitch
theory
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Volcanoes
Human Impact
CO2 – fossil fuels
 Urbanization
 Deforestation
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Greenhouse effect
Natural heating of the earth’s surface
caused by atmospheric gases.
 Radiation is trapped in atmosphere
increasing temperature overall on Earth.
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Global Warming
Trend in the rise of global temperatures
 Nature vs. nuture
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Ozone Depletion
O3 – is being
depleted by
CFC’s which
cause more
radiation to
enter the
atmosphere.
 Ozone Hole
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Measuring climate change
1. Fossil Record
 2. Ice Cores
 3. Sea Floor Sediments
 4. Tree Rings
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Fossil Record
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Fossils found in Antarctica indicating once
was a warmer climate
Ice Cores
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Measures the concentration of gases in
the ice.
Sea Floor Sediments
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Concentration of O18 in the shells of
microorganisms
Tree Rings
Ring Width
measured
 Wet years have
larger rings
whereas dry years
the rings are closer
together.
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Oxygen Bar
Montreal Protocol
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Aerosol Cans