Cold environments - Global distribution

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  • Created by: darcie_cl
  • Created on: 20-02-14 09:59
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  • Cold environments - Global distribution
    • Types of cold environment
      • Glacial
        • ice sheets + glaciers
      • Periglacial - tundra
        • no vegetation + permafrost + edge of ice areas
      • Alpine
        • mountains + glaciers + permafrost + ice caps + tundra vegetation
    • Climatic change through history
      • Temperature fluctuates through history - currently in an interglacial period
      • Number of warmer places has increased as earth's temperature has increased
      • We know this through; valleys, sediment analysis, CO2 in ice cores and historical evidence (River Thames)
      • INTERSTADIAL = warm period in a glacier
        • STADIA L = cold period in a glacial
    • Milankovich Cycles
      • Changes in orbit
        • SPHERICAL - warmer earth temperature
        • ELLIPTICAL - cooler earth temperature
      • Changes in tilt
        • Tilting applys warming and cooling effect
        • Rotating/orbiting in relation to the sun causes natural climate change
    • Other reasons
      • Sunspot activity - cloud cover increases = cuts sun rays = cooler earth
      • Volcanic activity - ash clouds scatters sun radiation = prevents rays reaching earth's surface = cooler earth
      • Ocean currents - ocean currents stop due to reduced salinity due to  glacial melting = cooler ocean surrounding countries

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