Changes in

World
Climate
Changes in World
Climate
Learn about It

• Climate Change is the

change in Earth’s
climate over a span of
years.

• Paleoclimatology is
the branch of science
that deals with
climates prevalent at
particular times in the Melting Antarctic ice
geological past. caps
Changes in World
Learn about It
Climate
Climatologists and
geologists use global
climate models (GCMs)
to take how present-day
factors affect the climate.

• stratigraphic
record
• paleontological
evidences
• oxygen-isotope A glacial till in Canada
ratio
• growth rings
 Global Climate Models (GCMs)
Learn about It
● Stratigraphic Record
is the product of a
geochemical system
consisting of geologic
setting, climate, and
processes of sediment
production.

● Example: Presence of
glacial tills and Glacial till and glacial
scratches scratches on a rock
 Global
Learn Climate
about It Models (GCMs)

Stratigraphic Record

● Example: Presence of
glacial tills

○ Glacial till is
composed of
unconsolidated
sediments which are Glacial till in Boeing
eroded and Creek and Shoreview
incorporated by a Park
moving glacier.
 Global Climate Models (GCMs)
Learn about It
● Paleontological
evidence refers to
the remains and
traces of organisms
that once existed or
are still existing.

○ The best climate

indicator is
microplankton,
which depend on Assorted diatoms seen
water through a microscope
temperature.
 Global
Learn Climate
about It Models (GCMs)
● Oxygen-isotope
ratio analysis is a
method for
estimating past
ocean
temperatures by
taking a look at the
ratio of the stable
oxygen isotopes,
18O and 16O, which Oxygen isotope 18
are temperature- decreases as temperature
dependent in rises.
water.
 Global
Learn aboutClimate
It Models (GCMs)
● Growth rings
indicate the age of
a tree or shells.

○ Trees are
sensitive to
local climate
conditions,
such as rain
and The number of growth
temperature. rings indicate the age of a
tree.
 Global
Learn Climate
about It Models (GCMs)
Growth rings

• Very broad rings

generally indicate a
good growing year.

• Narrow rings signify a

lack of sun or water, or
damage by fire.

• Off-center rings
Off-center growth rings
indicate exposure to
high winds on a side.
 Evolution of the Atmosphere
LearnOceans
and about It

The Earth’s atmosphere formed initially from

volcanic gases and comet impacts during the
planet’s early years.

CO2 and water vapor dominated the earliest

composition.

When much of Earth cooled down, the water

condensed as rain, forming early oceans. CO 2
is soluble in water, and its atmospheric
concentration decreased, leaving behind
mostly nitrogen gas.
Evolution of the Atmosphere and Oceans
Learn about It
• Great
Oxygenation
Event enriched our
atmosphere with
essential oxygen
gas initiated by the
evolution of
photosynthetic
organisms.

• Cyanobacteria are Cyanobacteria in water and on

the first oxygen- shoreline, St Margaret's Loch,
producing Holyrood Park, Edinburgh.
organisms.
Evolution of the Atmosphere and Oceans
Learn about It

• Loss of carbon
dioxide after
photosynthetic
organisms
evolved led to
“snowball
Earth”
conditions in
the Huronian
glaciation. Loss of carbon dioxide will
significantly cool down Earth.
 Long-term
Learn about It Climate Change
Major fluctuations in temperature
and precipitation happened
before.

• greenhouse or hothouse
periods: extremely warm
periods

• icehouse periods: extremely

cold periods
 Long-term
Learn about It Climate Change

Factors that caused long-term

climate change:

• Positions of continents and

continental drift
• Volcanism
• Uplift
• Life evolution
• Mass-extinction
 Long-term Climate Change
Learnthat
Factors about It
caused
long-term climate
change:

• Positions of
continents and
continental
drift dictate
ocean current
patterns and
change the Collisions of continents
latitude of formed the mountain
ranges.
landmasses.
 Long-term
Learn about It
Climate Change

Factors that caused

long-term climate
change:

• Volcanism
increases the
concentration of
the atmosphere’s
greenhouse gases
over time, causing Volcanic eruption
global warming. releases greenhouse
gases.
 Long-term
Learn about It Climate Change
Factors that caused long-
term climate change:

• Uplift exposes certain

elements to weathering
(such as CO2).

• Large uplift events can

disrupt atmosphere
circulation and form The cliffs along the edge of
highland climates. the Blue Mountains Plateau
(Australia) are caused by
tectonic uplift.
 Long-term
Learn about It
Climate Change
Factors that caused
long-term climate
change:

• Life evolution
refers to the
extinction or
appearance of
certain organisms
which led to great
climate upheavals Organisms also store
as discussed carbon in the formation
earlier. of fossil fuels.
 Long-term Climate Change
Learn about It
Factors that caused
long-term climate
change:

• Mass-extinction
events (large
numbers of species
die in a short time
period) can indicate
a sudden and violent
change in climate, Cretaceous extinction,
with long-lasting the most recent mass
effects. extinction event, was
caused by an asteroid.
 Short-term
Learn about It Climate Change
In the past 15,000 years, the
temperature has generally increased
in which temperatures have had
minor fluctuations.
• Holocene maximum

• Medieval Warm Period

• Little Ice Age

 Short-term
Learn about It Climate Change

• The Holocene maximum (Holocene

Optimum) exhibited warmer global
temperatures which caused ancient
civilizations to thrive.

• The Medieval Warm Period (Medieval

Climatic Optimum), the unusual warmth
which happened 700 to 1,200 years ago,
resulted in larger amounts of harvest
which directly affected the prosperity of
human civilization.
 Short-term
Learn about It Climate Change
• The Little Ice
Age was a
cooling
period which
occurred 200
to 600 years
ago. It was
characterized
by glaciation, Graph showing the fluctuations of
crop loss, temperature in Medieval Warm
and scarcity. Period and Little Ice Age
 Short-term
Learn about It Climate Change
Factors that caused
short-term climate
change:

• Solar fluctuations
affect the amount of
energy Earth receives.
Sunspots appear on
the sun every 9 to 11
years, releasing large Sunspots
amounts of radiation.
 Short-term
Learn about ItClimate Change
Factors that caused short-
term climate change:

• Milankovitch Cycles refer

to changes in the tilt of
Earth’s axis, the
precession cycle, and the
eccentricity of the orbit.

• These cycles cause

variations in atmospheric Earth’s precession,
a part of
and ocean temperatures. Milankovitch Cycle
 Short-term
Learn about It Climate Change
Factors that caused
short-term climate
change:

• Plinian eruptions
release a large
volume of ash into
the atmosphere.

• This can stay for up

to a year and cause
global temperatures Plinian eruption of Mt.
to cool down. Redoubt
 Short-term Climate Change
Learn about It
Factors that caused
short-term climate
change:

• Ocean currents
are easily changed
(for example by the
mixing or glacial
water), which causes
the climate to
subsequently Melting of glaciers produce
glacial water and mixes
change. with ocean water.
 Short-term Climate Change
Learn about It
Factors that caused
short-term climate
change:

• Albedo is the
amount of solar
radiation reflected by
the surface. Large-
scale changes in land
cover, especially of
snow and ice, affect Cloud effects on Earth’s
radiation
the planet’s energy
input.
Human-Induced Climate Change
Learn about It
• Human activity has
increased
exponentially which
has increased the
artificial factors
affecting climate,
particularly with
greenhouse gas
release which has
exceeded the rate
at which Earth Factories releasing smoke
system can absorb into the air
them.
 Human-Induced
Learn about It Climate Change
Evidences and Effects:

1. Ice is melting.

• Large ice shelves in

Antarctica and
Canada are observed
to be breaking apart.

• Greenland’s ice sheet

is melting quickly. Greenland Iceberg
Fjord
 Human-Induced Climate Change
Learn about It
Evidences and Effects:

1. Ice is melting.

• Mountain glaciers
worldwide have been
rapidly retreating.

• Permafrost has been

observed
disappearing. Melting permafrost
 Human-Induced Climate Change
Learn about It
Evidences and
Effects:

2. Organisms are
significantly
responding to the
warming climate.

• Warmer weather
lessens the sugar Maple trees’ sap
content of the maple collection, which will
be turned into maple
tree’s sap. syrup
 Human-Induced
Learn about It
Climate Change
• The
Intergovernmen
tal Panel on
Climate Change
(IPCC) of United
Nations and
World
Meteorological
Organization Logo of IPCC, a joint
consolidates and project of WMO
summarizes and UN
studies on
climate change.
QUIZ
Paleontological Growth Climate Milankovitch Oxygen-
evidence rings Cycles isotope ratio
Change analysis
Stratigraphic Solar Paleoclima- Plinian Little Ice
Record fluctuations eruptions
tology Age
1. The branch of science that deals with climates prevalent at
particular times in the geological past.
2. The change in Earth’s climate over a span of years.
3. The product of a geochemical system consisting of geologic
setting, climate, and processes of sediment production.
4. A method for estimating past ocean temperatures by
taking a look at the ratio of the stable oxygen isotopes, 18O
and 16O, which are temperature-dependent in water.
5. Refers to the remains and traces of organisms that once
existed or are still existing.
Paleontological Growth Climate Milankovitch Oxygen-
evidence rings Cycles isotope ratio
Change analysis
Stratigraphic Solar Paleoclima- Plinian Little Ice
Record fluctuations eruptions
tology Age

6. Indicate the age of a tree or shells.

7. A cooling period which occurred 200 to 600 years ago. It
was characterized by glaciation, crop loss, and scarcity.
8. Refer to changes in the tilt of Earth’s axis, the precession
cycle, and the eccentricity of the orbit.
9. Affect the amount of energy Earth receives. Sunspots
appear on the sun every 9 to 11 years, releasing large
amounts of radiation.
10. Release a large volume of ash into the atmosphere.
ANSWERS:
1. Paleoclimatology
2. Climate Change
3. Stratigraphic Record
4. Oxygen-isotope ratio analysis
5. Paleontological evidence
6. Growth rings
7. Little Ice Age
8. Milankovitch Cycles
9. Solar fluctuations
10. Plinian eruptions