Name: ______

Date: ______

Earth’s Climate System

______is a natural part of Earth’s history. For example, thousands of years ago, thick ______covered most of Canada and a large portion of the United States.

______refers to the condition of the atmosphere at a ______ place and time. It describes factors such as wind, temperature and humidity.

______refers to the condition of the atmosphere over a ______.

The Earth is surrounded by an envelop of gases called the ______. Without this envelop, the days would be too hot and the nights would be too cold!

Heat Transfer:

Heat is always transferred from the ______object to the ______object.

There are 3 types of heat transfer:

  1. ______is the transfer of heat between substances that are in ______with one another
  2. ______is the ______movement of gases and liquids caused by heat transfer. As a gas/liquid is heated it expands and rises because it is less dense. As it rises and expands, it cools and falls. This creates ______.
  3. ______is ______moving through space. These waves come in contact with an object and transfer the heat to the object.

Earth’s Climate Systems:

  • A complex framework of interactions between various factors that influence the Earth’s climate.
  • It involves the ______, the ______, and the ______
  • These components interact with one another and with aspects of Earth’s ______to determine not only day-to-day weather, but also long term averages, climate.

5 Main Factors Affecting Climate Change:

______
1. The Sun:

  • The most important factor that affects climate is the sun
  • Earth’s climate systems are driven by ______ energy received from the sun.
  • The intensity of the energy that reaches Earth’s surface affects the ______of air, water and land
  • Heat produces ______, ______and other features of climate.
  • The Sun produces a variable amount of energy.
  • When the number of ______ is high, the Sun emits higher amounts of solar radiation
  • Some scientists believe that changes in solar output are the main cause of climate change in the past.

2. The Earth:

  • The amount of solar energy that reaches Earth depends on ______, the ______of the Earth and the ______of the Earth.
  • Earth ______ once every 24 hours (1 day) around its axis, an imaginary line that goes from the North Pole to the South Pole through the center of the Earth.
  • The Earth also ______ (orbits) around the Sun every 365 days (1 year).
  • Another important detail is that the Earth’s axis of rotation is ______ at an angle of about 23.5˚
  • The ______are created by Earth’s revolution and its tilted axis

  • Latitude is another factor. Energy coming from the sun is not distributed ______across the surface of the Earth.
  • Due to the shape of the Earth, the energy is most intense at the ______and weakest at the ______.
  • This non-uniform energy distribution leads to temperature differences.

The Earth con’t (Movement of continental plates)

  • Earth’s outer layer is made of massive pieces of solid rock, called ______
  • Earth has about ____ major plates that move at a rate of a few ______per year.
  • The plates carry the continents with them as they move.
  • This means that the shape of the oceans and continents is always changing.
  • Patterns of air and water circulation are affected which in turn affects the thermal energy around the world.
  • The formation of ______also affects the patterns of wind and precipitation around the globe.
  • Most ______are located at the boundaries of tectonic plates.
  • Plate movement affects climate by producing volcanic activity.
  • In these areas, molten rock and gases from below the Earth’s crust rise up through cracks in the rock and spew into the air as volcanic eruptions.
  • During a volcanic eruption, particles called ______(such as ash) are released into the atmosphere.
  • Aerosols ______solar radiation, having a ______effect on the global climate, and ______
  • However, some volcanic eruptions can ______global temperatures by releasing ______.

3. The Atmosphere:

  • Earth’s atmosphere is like a big blanket that surrounds the globe keeping humans warm.
  • If it was suddenly stripped off, the Earth’s average temperature would plummet and everything would freeze.
  • Like a blanket that could be made from a mix of cotton and wool, the Earth’s atmosphere is made from a mixture of ______
  • The atmosphere starts at Earth’s surface and goes up to about 560 km into space.
  • It is mostly made of ______(N2) and ______(O2) gases as well as ______vapour, very low concentrations of other gases and particles of solids.

The Greenhouse Effect:

  • A natural process that keeps Earth’s temperatures within a certain range.
  • Without it Earth’s average temperature would be colder (~34˚C lower) and most of the solar energy reaching Earth would radiate out back into space.
  • The atmosphere contains ______and solar radiation passes through them.
  • Solar radiation warms the surface of the Earth and heat rises from the surface
  • Some heat is able to pass back through the gases and some cannot.
  • The heat that is trapped adds to overall global temperatures.

Wind:

  • Caused by ______
  • The air moves as wind transfers thermal energy around the world from warm areas to cooler areas (convection)
  • It is the movement of air from an area of high pressure to an area of lower pressure.
  • Winds blow in fairly constant directions around the world.
  • These are known as ______.
  • Winds disperse energy throughout the atmosphere.
  • The movement of air affects ______and ______

Precipitation:

  • As air masses of different ______move across the Earth’s surface, they interact
  • When air masses meet (called a______), one air mass usually rises over the other.
  • The rising air cools and any water vapour in the air ______to form precipitation.

Ocean Currents:

  • The difference in atmospheric temperature cause the ocean to react and create convection currents.
  • These currents transport heat from ______to ______and back again.

4. The Hydrosphere:

  • ______of the Earth is covered by oceans.
  • The hydrosphere includes all of the water on the planet in its different forms:
  • vapour and clouds of water droplets in the atmosphere
  • liquid in the oceans, seas, and smaller bodies of water
  • ice and snow in temperate and colder regions

Specific Heat Capacity:

  • Oceans and lakes act as heat ______. They ______temperatures in the atmosphere.
  • Large bodies of water influence climate because water has ______compared with other substances.
  • Specific heat capacity is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one gram of a substance by one degree Celsius.
  • The higher the heat capacity, the ______and the ______.
  • Water’s high specific heat capacity means that a land mass near a large body of water will have its temperature ______by the water; it will warm up more slowly in summer and cool down slowly in winter than a land mass further from water.

Snow and Ice:

  • Light-coloured surfaces ______energy, and dark surfaces ______energy
  • The light colour of ice and snow allow them to ______
  • The amount of energy that is reflected by a surface is known as ______.
  • Because of their large differences in albedo, the ______ of water, ice and land on Earth’s surface greatly affects the average global temperature.

5. Human Activity:

Review:

  1. What are 3 ways that heat is transferred? Provide a diagram.
  1. Compare and contrast weather and climate.
  1. What are the 5 main influencing factors on Earth’s climate system? Provide and example of an effect each factor has.