Geo Quiz 1 - changing orbit and air (class two)

perihelion

point where earth is closest to the sun

aphelion

point where Earth is farthest from the sun

eccentricity

how circular an orbit is

obliquity

the angle of the axis

precession

the direction the axis points

how long do changes in Earth’s orbit take

tens of thousands of years

why is summer sunlight at high northern latitudes important for ice ages

Summer sunlight at high northern latitudes is important because it controls how much winter snow melts. Less summer sunlight allows snow to survive and accumulate, causing ice sheets to grow and contributing to an ice age

what’s the difference between an ice age and an interglacial period

An ice age is a long period of colder global temperatures when large ice sheets and glaciers cover more of Earth. An interglacial period is a warmerperiod within an ice age when glaciers and ice sheets retreat.

how does greater obliquity affect summer sunlight and ice at high latitudes

greater obliquity (a larger axial tilt) causes more direct sunlight and longer days at high latitudes during summer. This increases summer melting of snow and ice, causing ice sheets to shrink. More direct summer sun @ higher latitude = generally less ice

why can orbital cycles not explain present day climate change?

Orbital cycles cannot explain present-day climate change because they occur over thousands to hundreds of thousands of years, while today’s warming is happening much more rapidly. The current warming is mainly caused by increasing greenhouse gases from human activities.

how did changes in summer sunlight and co2 work together to end the last ice age

Changes in Earth’s orbit increased summer sunlight in the Northern Hemisphere, causing ice sheets to melt. The warming oceans and land released more CO₂, which strengthened the greenhouse effect and caused additional warming.

why is an increase in summer sunlight not enough to end an ice age

the initial warming is relatively small. As ice melts, CO₂ levels increase, strengthening the greenhouse effect and causing additional warming. This feedback helps produce the larger warming needed to end an ice age.

how far south did the last ice sheet reach, and how thick was it over Syracuse

reached to Long Island and was about 1.4 km thick

what gasses make up most of dry air and why is water vapor left out

Dry Air: mostly made up of nitrogen and oxygen

• Water vapor is excluded because it's the one component that varies wildly, from near 0% to about 4% by volume depending on place and hour, and because it changes phase at ordinary temperatures, releasing and absorbing latent heat as it condenses and evaporates.

what does 426 parts per million of CO2 mean

out of every 1 million molecules of dry air, about 426 are CO₂ molecules.

how did atmospheric CO2 change before and after 1750

industrialization led to a major increase in CO2 emissions

How do air bubbles trapped in ice sheets preserve a record of past CO2? what does deeper ice contain older air?

Deeper ice → older bubbles → older atmosphere → past CO₂ levels.

how is methane related to natural gas, and how has methane and nitrous oxide changed since 1750

Methane is the main component of natural gas. Natural gas is a fossil fuel made mostly of methane (CH₄), along with smaller amounts of other gases. both methane and nitrous oxide have increased since 1750 due to industrialization

what creates air pressure and how are we not crushed from it

the weight of the air above us creates air pressure, and air existing in our bodies balanced w the air outside balance each other out