Climate Change Causes
- Created by: FraserHarold
- Created on: 08-05-14 20:06
View mindmap
- Climate Change Causes
- Earth's Orbit
- Variations affect the receiving of the Sun's energy
- 3 factors of orbit affect climate
- 1. Stretch
- Change of Earth's path from circle, to ellipse and back
- Timescale of 96,000 years
- Distance from Sun varies at different times of year
- Closest in January, furthest in June
- Distance from Sun varies at different times of year
- Timescale of 96,000 years
- Change of Earth's path from circle, to ellipse and back
- 2. Tilt
- Change of Earth's angle on it's axis
- Timescale of about 41,000 years
- Angle varies from 21.5 - 24.5 degrees
- Timescale of about 41,000 years
- Change of Earth's angle on it's axis
- 3. Wobble
- Earths axis also circles on a 22,000 year cycle
- Will gradually cause summer to be in Jan, winter in June
- Earths axis also circles on a 22,000 year cycle
- 1. Stretch
- Solar Output
- Not constant
- Sunspots are dark areas increasing energy output of Sun
- Increase and Decrease in an 11 year cycle
- Little ice age in 17th Cent coincided with low sunspot activity
- Cosmic Activity
- Meteors and asteroids make large craters, throwing up material
- Material can block out the sun's energy
- Up to years, changing climate
- Material can block out the sun's energy
- Meteors and asteroids make large craters, throwing up material
- Volcanic Activity
- Large scale eruptions emit lots of material
- Block out sunlight, changing climate
- Large scale eruptions emit lots of material
- Human Activities
- Recent global warming thought to be due to human
- Enhanced GHG emissions
- EG. Methane, CO2, water vapour
- GHGs absorb outgoing energy, stopping it from leaving
- Keeps the planet warm
- Without GH effect, planet would be 30'c cooler
- Keeps the planet warm
- CO2 levels have increased from 280ppm to 380ppm since industrial revolution
- Burning of fossil fuels, trees etc
- Increased GHGs in the atmosphere
- Too much absorption due to too much GHGs
- Planet warms up
- Too much absorption due to too much GHGs
- CO2 Sinks destruction
- Sinks store CO2, keeping it out of the atmosphere
- Oceans are biggest sinks, CO2 dissolves in sea water
- Plants also big sinks. CO2 converted during photosynthesis
- Thought that sinks won't cope with increasing GHGs
- More straight into atmosphere
- Earth's Orbit
Comments
No comments have yet been made