The Little Ice Age Worksheet

In this lesson, you learned how glaciers are used to understand climate change. Answer the
questions. Reflect on your understanding of the Ice Age by writing an essay.

“Ice Core Drilling. Secrets of the Ice” Video Questions

Answer the following questions about the “Ice core drilling. Secrets of the ice” video.
1. The video describes the research taking place in Greenland. Discuss the relevance of this
location for core research using evidence from the video.

2. Explain, using examples, how ice cores allow researchers to understand global climate
change better.

The Little Ice Age Essay

Some scientists say The Little Ice Age spanned from 1350-1850, an entire half a millennium!
Using evidence from the data you have seen in the video and information you have learned
from the lesson, write a well-formed essay arguing for or against this claim.
Here are some guiding questions to help you form your essay:
How did natural factors such as solar and volcanic activity contribute to climate change in the
period known as the “Little Ice Age”?
Does more solar activity increase or decrease the amount of sunlight reaching the Earth’s
surface?
In which years was sunspot activity very low or entirely absent?
How do volcanic particles get into the atmosphere?
Do volcanic particles in the atmosphere increase or decrease the amount of sunlight reaching
the Earth’s surface? How might this affect global warming or cooling?
In which years was volcanic activity especially high?
When does the tree growth pattern indicate when growth was slower or faster?
What might slower growth mean about the climate?