Climatic Changes
Ice Ages Glaciers have advanced and retreated the last 2 million years It is called an ice age when much of the Earth’s surface is covered with vast sheets of ice Ice ages alternate with warm periods called interglacial intervals The most recent ice age ended about 10,000 years ago
Short-term Climatic Changes The change of seasons also area change in climate This change in temp and precip is caused from the change in solar radiation received by that area
El Nino This is caused from a warm ocean current that from off the west coast of S. America This causes the NW coast of S. America to be warmer and wetter then normal The increased precip pumps large amounts of heat and moisture into the upper atmosphere The temp difference in the upper atmosphere allows the jet streams over the US to dip farther south El Nino brings stormy weather to normally dry places and causes drought in normally wet places El Nino does hinder hurricane activity