The Earth’s climate results from the interaction of many factors of different nature. In outer space, the location of the Solar System in the Galaxy is changing. Relatively little, but still, the shape of the Earth’s orbit and the tilt of the Earth’s axis in relation to the ecliptic plane are changing too. Also, solar radiation fluctuates. All of this causes the dose of solar radiation reaching the Earth to change. On the planet itself, the position and size of continents are changing which, in turn, affects the course of sea currents. As a result of tectonic movements, continents are rising or falling, mountain ranges are rising. In addition, volcanoes are releasing large quantities of gases and dusts into the atmosphere. The varying intensity of these processes has been dynamically shaping the Earth’s climate and has always been changing.
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Zdjęcie przedstawia skaliste podłoże porośnięte trawą i mchem w każdym płaskim miejscu, w tle widoczne są lodowce oddzielone niewielkim zbiornikiem wodnym.
The name ‘Greenland’ comes from the word ‘Grønland’ which in Old Scandinavian languages meant the same as in English. During the medieval period of warmth, the climate of Greenland was milder than today – the Vikings cultivated grapes on its southern shores.
Source: licencja: CC 0, [online], dostępny w internecie: www.pixabay.com.
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Zdjęcie przedstawia pustynię Saharę, której większą powierzchnię pokrywają wielkie wydmy piaskowe, rzadko porośnięte niskimi roślinami, gdzieniegdzie widoczne są pojedyncze drzewa.
Results of archaeological research suggest that about 10,000 years ago the Sahara was an area with lush vegetation. Cereals grew there, most probably deliberately sown by humans and then harvested and stored.
Source: licencja: CC 0, [online], dostępny w internecie: www.pixabay.com.
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Fotografia przedstawia lasy północnej polski, która obsiana jest różnej wielkości jeziorami. Owe jeziora są pozostałościami po ostatniej epoce lodowcowej. Widoczne na zdjęciu jest jedno jezioro otoczone zewsząd gęstą roślinnością.
About 20 thousand years ago, the area of northern Poland was covered with a layer of the Scandinavian ice sheet. The presence of the ice sheet is evidenced by the numerous ribbon lakes dating back to the period of the last glaciation.
Source: Merlin, licencja: CC BY 2.5, [online], dostępny w internecie: https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ciecz_(jezioro)#/media/File:Poland_-_Trzesniowskie_Lake.jpg.
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Fotografia przedstawia skały. Widoczne piaskowce ciosowe powstałe z morskich osadów. W tle niebo i chmury.
In the late Cretaceous, the entire Poland was under the waters of a sea. This was due to an extremely warm climate. The average annual temperature at the poles was positive and there were no polar caps, which resulted in a much higher sea level than presently. In the Sudetes, you can admire sandstone blocks made by marine sediments about 90 million years ago.
Source: licencja: CC 0, [online], dostępny w internecie: www.pixabay.com.
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Zdjęcie przedstawia kulę Ziemską widzianą z kosmosu. Widoczna Europa, Azja i część Afryki.
Archaeological research suggests that about 750 million years ago all, or almost all of the Earth’s surface was covered by a layer of an ice sheet. Perhaps this type of phenomena recurred several times in the history of our planet.
Source: licencja: CC 0, [online], dostępny w internecie: www.pixabay.com.
Task 1
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Na ilustracji wykres liniowy obrazujący wahania temperatury w przeszłości geologicznej. Oś pionowa oznaczona od 3 na dole poprzez 0 do -4 na górze, co jeden. Oznacza proporcje izotopów tlenu-18 do tlenu-16. Górne wartości ujemne oznaczają ciepło, a dolne wartości dodatnie oznaczają zimno. Na osi poziomej oznaczone lata przeszłości geologicznej w milionach Nad osią nazwy jednostek geochronologicznych – prekambr, paleozoik, mezozoik, kenozoik. Dwie linie wykresu. Pierwsza linia poszarpana, wysokie wzrosty, duże spadki, duża amplituda – obrazuje zmiany krótkotrwałe. Druga linia, łagodna – obrazuje zmiany długotrwałe. W okresach, gdy linie pokazują wahania w dół na Ziemi występowały wielkie zlodowacenia.Na wykresie: części w tysiącu, ciepło, zimno; prekambr, paleozoik, mezozoik, kenozik; zmiany skali czasowej, zmiany długoterminowe, zmiany krótkoterminowe, wielkie zlodowacenia.
Changes in air temperature on Earth in the geological history.
Source: Dariusz Adryan, licencja: CC BY 3.0.
Analyze the graphs above and answer the following questions:
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Are long-term changes in the air temperature of the Earth periodic, and if so, estimate how much time on average it takes for changes to occur? (Uzupełnij). Are we currently living in a geological period with a warm climate compared to previous periods? (Uzupełnij). How long does it take for the average air temperature to rise by 1°C? (Uzupełnij).
Are long-term changes in the air temperature of the Earth periodic, and if so, estimate how much time on average it takes for changes to occur? (Uzupełnij). Are we currently living in a geological period with a warm climate compared to previous periods? (Uzupełnij). How long does it take for the average air temperature to rise by 1°C? (Uzupełnij).
The closer we get to the present day, the more accurate data we have. Thanks to them, we know that climate changes are still taking place today. The increase in air temperature is the most evident. Nobody denies it.
The calculations indicate that if the air temperature on the Earth depended only on the solar radiation dose, the average temperature would be around 33°C lower than it is today. It is different due to the composition of the atmosphere and the properties of some of the gases that build it: water vapor, carbon dioxide (COIndeks dolny 22), moreover methane (CHIndeks dolny 44), nitrous oxide (NIndeks dolny 22O), freons (CFCs) and others. We call them greenhouse, and the very phenomenon of their blocking of the radiation coming from the Sun and the energy reflected by Earth - the greenhouse effect. This is a completely natural phenomenon.
The shortwave radiation emitted by the Sun passes through the atmosphere without hindrance, heating the Earth's surface. However, even a strongly heated surface is definitely cooler than the Sun, so it emits radiation with a much longer wave.Greenhouse gases do not pass this radiation, so thermal energy accumulates in the atmosphere, raising its temperature.
The results of atmospheric composition studies show that COIndeks dolny 22, CHIndeks dolny 44, NIndeks dolny 22O and freon concentrations have clearly increased in the last decades.
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Exercise 1
Select the statement that adequately describes the changes in the Earth’s climate.
Możliwe odpowiedzi: 1. The Earth’s climate is undergoing constant and often radical changes., 2. The climate on Earth since the beginnings of its existence has not undergone any changes., 3. The Earth’s climate only began to change at the beginning of the 20th century., 4. The Earth’s climate undergoes small and quite predictable changes.
Select the statement that adequately describes the changes in the Earth’s climate.
Możliwe odpowiedzi: 1. The Earth’s climate is undergoing constant and often radical changes., 2. The climate on Earth since the beginnings of its existence has not undergone any changes., 3. The Earth’s climate only began to change at the beginning of the 20th century., 4. The Earth’s climate undergoes small and quite predictable changes.
Select the statement that adequately describes the changes in the Earth’s climate.
The Earth’s climate is undergoing constant and often radical changes.
The climate on Earth since the beginnings of its existence has not undergone any changes.
The Earth’s climate only began to change at the beginning of the 20th century.
The Earth’s climate undergoes small and quite predictable changes.
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Exercise 2
Assign the factors that influence the Earth’s climate to the relevant category.
factors on the scale of the Solar System
factors on the scale of the Earth
Możliwe odpowiedzi: 1. activity of the Sun, 2. angle of inclination of the Earth’s axis in relation to the orbital plane, 3. volcanic activity, 4. shape of the Earth’s orbit, 5. the drift of continents, 6. the course of sea currents
Assign the factors that influence the Earth’s climate to the relevant category.
factors on the scale of the Solar System
factors on the scale of the Earth
Możliwe odpowiedzi: 1. activity of the Sun, 2. angle of inclination of the Earth’s axis in relation to the orbital plane, 3. volcanic activity, 4. shape of the Earth’s orbit, 5. the drift of continents, 6. the course of sea currents
Move the factors that influence the Earth’s climate to the relevant category.
the drift of continents, volcanic activity, activity of the Sun, shape of the Earth’s orbit, the course of sea currents, angle of inclination of the Earth’s axis in relation to the orbital plane
factors on the scale of the Solar System
factors on the scale of the Earth
Summary
the climate is constantly changing,
the greenhouse effect is a natural phenomenon,
most experts recognize human responsibility for the contemporary strengthening of the greenhouse effect.
efekt cieplarniany - zjawisko podwyższenia temperatury planety powodowane obecnością gazów cieplarnianych w atmosferze. Zmiany powodujące wzrost roli efektu cieplarnianego są główną przyczyną globalnego ocieplenia.
