An introduction to Natural

1. 11/9/12
❖ Xtranormal due today
❖ Project due Tomorrow
❖ Unit 6 Quizlet due Tuesday 11/20
❖ Be checking your grades
❖ Weekly Reporter

2. Review
❖ Explain the difference between weather and climate.
❖ Compare and contrast the major types of climate as
described by the Koeppen system.

3. Objectives
❖ Describe natural processes that can affect earth’s
climate.
❖ Understand the causes and effects of El Nino.

4. Question
❖ How do natural processes affect climate?

5. Climate Change
❖ Think: What have you
heard about climate
change?
❖ Pair
❖ Share

6. Climate Changes
❖ Natural changes in the
Earth’s climate can be
broken into two categories
❖ Short-term changes
❖ Long-term changes

7. Long-term changes
❖ Types of long-term climate
changes
❖ Ice Ages
❖ Solar Activity
❖ Earth’s Orbit

8. Long-term changes
❖ Ice Ages
❖ What is an ice age?
❖ Periods of time where
glaciers cover large
parts of Earth’s
surface
❖ Earth alternates
between ice ages
(glacial periods) and
warm periods
(interglacial periods)

9. Long-term changes
❖ Ice Ages
❖ Last ice age ended
10,000 years ago
❖ Ice stretched as far south
as Indiana
❖ Earth was on average
5 degrees C cooler

10. Long-term changes
❖ Solar Activity
❖ Periods of high
activity have been
connected to warmer
temperatures on Earth

11. Long-term changes
❖ Earth’s Orbit
❖ Scientists believe that
every 100,000 years
the orbit of the Earth
changes shape
❖ Brings the Earth closer to
or further from the Sun

12. Short-term changes
❖ Short-term climate changes
❖ Seasons
❖ Volcanoes
❖ El Nino

13. Short-term changes
❖ Seasons
❖ I’m going to assume that
you have this one
❖ Any questions about how
a season is a short-term
change?

14. Short-term changes
❖ Volcanoes
❖ How would the eruption of
a volcano affect the
Earth’s climate?

15. Short-term changes
❖ Volcanoes
❖ Eruptions release dust,
smoke, and ash
❖ What do you think those
things do to the amount of
sunlight that reaches
Earth?

16. Short-term changes
❖ Volcanoes
❖ Dust and ash released
from a volcano blocks
incoming sunlight
❖ Cooler temperatures
on Earth have been
connected to big
volcanic eruptions

17. Short-term changes
❖ El Nino
❖ A short-term change in
the water temperature
of the Pacific Ocean

18. Short-term changes
❖ El Nino
❖ Normally winds push
warm surface water
towards Australia
❖ Because warm water is
pushed away, cold
water can rise near
South America
❖ Fish like cold water

19. Short-term changes
❖ El Nino
❖ Occasionally the winds
switch direction
❖ Warm water gets pushed
to South America
❖ Fish don’t like warm water
❖ Hurts the fishing industry

20. Short-term changes
❖ Effects of El Nino
❖ More rain and storms
across South America
❖ Drought conditions in
Australia and the
South Pacific
❖ Stronger hurricane
season in the Atlantic