OCR B Geography GCSE Changing
Climate
Define climate change
large scale, long-term shift in the Earth's temperature and precipitation patterns
Define weather
the day to day changes in atmospheric conditions
Define climate
the average weather conditions over time (usually calculated over a 30 year period)
How long is the Quaternary period?
the last 2.6 million years
What has Earth's climate been like over the Quaternary period?
ice ages
What is an ice age or glacial period?
a cold period in earth's climate associated with the build-up of snow and ice and the
growth of ice sheets and glaciers
What is an inter-glacial period?
a warm period in earth's climate in-between glacial periods where conditions were much
the same as they are today
What is global warming?
a trend associated with recent climate change involving a warming trend (0.85°C since
1880)
What are some key pieces of evidence of climate change?
1. Global Temperature Records
2. Sea ice positions
3. Ice cores
4. Historical records
How do ice cores show climate change?
Trapped air bubbles in the ice show that CO2 levels have fluctuated from 180ppm to
280ppm over the last 800,000 years.
Climate
Define climate change
large scale, long-term shift in the Earth's temperature and precipitation patterns
Define weather
the day to day changes in atmospheric conditions
Define climate
the average weather conditions over time (usually calculated over a 30 year period)
How long is the Quaternary period?
the last 2.6 million years
What has Earth's climate been like over the Quaternary period?
ice ages
What is an ice age or glacial period?
a cold period in earth's climate associated with the build-up of snow and ice and the
growth of ice sheets and glaciers
What is an inter-glacial period?
a warm period in earth's climate in-between glacial periods where conditions were much
the same as they are today
What is global warming?
a trend associated with recent climate change involving a warming trend (0.85°C since
1880)
What are some key pieces of evidence of climate change?
1. Global Temperature Records
2. Sea ice positions
3. Ice cores
4. Historical records
How do ice cores show climate change?
Trapped air bubbles in the ice show that CO2 levels have fluctuated from 180ppm to
280ppm over the last 800,000 years.
