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    Causes of Climate Change

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    stepan.nikitin

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    Causes of Climate Change

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    stepan.nikitin
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    5 views2 pages

    Causes of Climate Change

    Uploaded by

    stepan.nikitin

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
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    Causes of Climate Change

    The causes of climate change can be split into human and natural causes. There are 7 information boxes
    below. Read each box and decide which factor it belongs to:
    1. Fossil Fuels - Human
    2. Deforestation - Natural - If it isn’t meant to be used, why is it there
    3. Ocean Currents - Natural
    4. Volcanic Eruptions - Natural - Obv
    5. Solar Output - Natural - Obv
    6. Agriculture - Natural - If they didn't want us eating food, why do we have to
    7. Orbital changes - Natural

    Ocean currents are responsible for distributing Over time, the Earth’s climate has changed
    heat around the Earth. The changes in the significantly from being 5-6°C cooler than
    patterns of these currents can lead to periods today in the cold glacial periods, to 2-3°C
    of warming (El Nino) and cooling (La Nina) warmer than today throughout the
    around the Pacific Ocean. The timescales of interglacials. The main cause of these changes
    these changes can vary greatly from every is thought to be due to the way in which the
    few years (El Nino) to every few thousand year Earth orbits the Sun. Over time, the Earth’s
    (North Atlantic Drift). orbit can vary between being circular or more
    of an oval (elliptical) shape. The Earth’s axis
    can tilt between an upright or sideways
    position and also wobbles. All of these
    changes vary how much sunlight the Earth
    receives and can increase or decrease
    temperatures. These changes occur in cycles
    known as Milankovitch Cycles.

    As the world’s population increases, more land Large eruptions can change the Earth’s
    is being cleared for timber, farms and homes. climate. They must be very large and
    This world-wide deforestation also involves explosive to have any effect. These eruptions
    rainforest burning as well as clearing, which produce ash and emit sulphur dioxide. They
    emits large amounts of CO2 into the can also emit CO2, but levels are much lower
    atmosphere. As the levels of deforestation than those created by humans. The ash and
    increase, there are fewer trees available to gases reach high up into the stratosphere and
    remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. prevent some sunlight from reaching the
    This excess CO2 is then released back into the Earth’s surface. This means that the sunlight
    atmosphere and contributes to the is reflected back into space which cools the
    greenhouse effect, subsequently raising Earth and lowers global temperatures.
    temperatures.

    Energy from the Sun is not constant and The amount of land needed for crop
    evidence shows that its output works in production has increased due to world
    cycles; increasing or decreasing the amount of population growth. The amount of farmland
    solar energy at different times. Black areas on needed to grow rice alone has doubled in the
    the surface of the sun are known as sunspots. last 45 years. The result of this has been an
    These are dark in colour but represent how increase in methane levels from rice fields but
    active the Sun is, for example, lots of spots also from landfill sites and from animals, for
    mean that more solar energy is being directed example, sheep, cattle, goats and camels. As
    towards Earth. Temperatures are higher when a greenhouse gas, methane contributes
    there are lots of sunspots. significantly to the greenhouse effect, raising
    global temperatures as solar radiation is
    trapped within the atmosphere.

    The use of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas has been increasing as the world’s population
    grows. The burning of these fuels for industry, transport and energy has led to a significant
    increase in CO2 levels across the globe. Car exhausts, fertilisers, fridges and aerosols also
    increase levels of nitrous oxide and CFCs. The effects of these greenhouse gases on the Earth
    have been devastating; causing an enhanced greenhouse effect which traps outgoing infra-red
    radiation within the higher levels of the atmosphere causing increased temperatures.

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