Climate Change


Quiz Review Topics: Introduction to Climate Change & Past Evidence

1. Global Climate Change

a. What is it?Climate change refers to significant alterations in global temperatures and weather patterns, primarily driven by human activities like fossil fuel burning and deforestation.b. What evidence do we have that it is happening?

  • Rising global temperatures

  • Melting glaciers and ice caps

  • Increased frequency of extreme weather events

  • Observable shifts in wildlife patterns and habitats.

2. Drawing Climatographs

  • Be able to draw and properly label a climatograph, depicting temperature and precipitation data effectively.

3. Evidence of Past Changes in Climate

a. Be able to evaluate a tree ring.


  • Tree rings can indicate age and past climate conditions; wider rings suggest favorable growing conditions.b. What is an ice core and how do they show evidence of climate change?


  • Ice cores are cylindrical samples from ice sheets that trap air bubbles from the past, revealing historical atmospheric composition and temperatures.c. What are coral rings and how do they show evidence of climate change?

  • Coral rings, like tree rings, reveal growth patterns impacted by water temperature and acidity, providing data on historical climate conditions.

4. Evidence of Current Changes in Climate

a. What is happening to glaciers and ice sheets?

  • Glaciers and ice sheets are melting at an accelerated rate, contributing to rising sea levels. b. What evidence of climate change are Inuit and indigenous peoples experiencing?

  • Indigenous communities observe changes in seasonal weather patterns, wildlife migration, and thinning ice, affecting their traditional ways of life.

5. Vocabulary

  • Global warming: Increase in Earth's average surface temperature due to human activities.

  • Climate change: Long-term alteration in weather patterns and temperatures.

  • Greenhouse gases: Gases like CO2 and methane that trap heat in the atmosphere.

  • Greenhouse effect: The process by which greenhouse gases accumulate and warm the Earth's surface.

  • Weather: Daily atmospheric conditions.

  • Climate: Long-term patterns of temperature and precipitation in a region.

  • Climatograph: A graphical representation showing temperature and precipitation over a period.