Climate Change Earth’s climate has not always been the same as it is today – it’s always changing

Climate Change Earth’s climate has not always been the same as it is today – it’s always changing Global Warming

Finding Climatic Data Tree Core Sampling Pollen Profiles Separated from sediment Deep-Sea Sediment Cores Analysis of fossils and oxygen isotope Coral Rings Method – 1. Tree Core Sampling 2. Pollen Profiles (will tell us vegetation which can infer to climate) 3. Deep-sea sediment cores (can show oxygen isotope which corresponds to changes in earths ice volume) 4. Coral rings (some corals require certain temps of water to live in, even smallest change in temp can threaten coral life) 5. Ice cores 6. Stratigraphy (can relatively date the rocks and certain minerals found in that time period can correspond to environment Ice Cores Stratigraphy Rock salt = warm climate Can be a book with missing pages

Volcanic Eruptions Volcanic ash, dust, and tiny particles containing sulfur (aerosols) Increase the amount of solar radiation that is reflected back into space Causes Earth’s lower ATM to cool

Solar Activity When the sun is most active (~every 11 years): sunspots Formation of sunspots = warmer Less sunspots = colder

Earth Motions **closer to the sun = warmer than normal Earth’s orbit and tilt Over a 100,000 year period Earth’s path becomes less elliptical Earth’s axis changes 2 degrees ever 41,000 years **closer to the sun = warmer than normal

Ocean Circulation El Nino – warm countercurrents replace the normally cold offshore waters with warm waters

Ocean Circulation El Nino – warm countercurrents replace the normally cold offshore waters with warm waters

El Nino

Effects of El Nino Fishing Trade winds weaken Alters the Jet Stream Influences temperature and precipitation https://earthsky.org/earth/winter-2018-2018-weather-outlook-for-us

La Nina La Nina – opposite of El Nino Occurs when surface temperatures in the Pacific are colder than average

Effects of La Nina A La Nina winter blows colder air over Pacific NW NW has highest precipitation While warming much of the rest of the US