Module 7 (Climate Science)

Set atmospheric conditions in a local area for a short period of time (days to weeks)

Set atmospheric conditions on a global scale for a long period of time (months to years)

A dry patch of land that is covered by an elevated structure (i.e. mountain), where rain saturates one side of the mountain, but cannot surpass the mountain, leaving the other side dry.

A gas that can absorb heat and re-radiate long wave radiation.

Short wave radiation that is reflected off of the Earths surface, not absorbed (cooling.

A measure of how much the Earth’s orbit deviates from a perfect circle. Orbit of 0 = perfect circle Orbit of 1 = oval

As the earth tilts, the seasons become more extreme (hotter summers, cooler winters). The current tilt of the earth is 23.5 degrees.

22.1 and 24.5

The direction of earth’s rotational axis. If the axis points towards the sun (extreme seasons in the hemisphere)

There is low CO2 levels in the atmosphere, low temperatures and ice sheets wax (grow) and wane (shrink) = glacial periods.

There is high CO2 levels in the atmosphere and high temperatures. Possible cause: Seafloor rifting or volcanism (tectonic movement) which releases vast amounts of greenhouse gases (i.e. CO2)

A microscopic grain that contains the male reproductive cells of a plant. Highly resistant to decay and persist in sediments for a long period of time. When they become apart of a sediment, its composition can change relative to temperature changes.

The shape of pollen can determine the plant it came from. Analysing the age and layered changes, can aid inference about what plants thrived in certain conditions.

The ocean is a carbon sink. When the CO2 is absorbed by the ocean, it forms carbonic acid which decreases the pH.