Natural Causes of Climate Change Flashcards

All 4 cards in this deck

What are Milankovitch cycles?

Natural changes in the Earth's orbit and axis (orbit from circular to elliptical over about 100 000 years, plus changes in tilt and wobble) that alter how much solar energy the Earth receives.

How can volcanic activity cool the planet?

Eruptions release large amounts of ash into the atmosphere, which reflects the Sun's rays, so the planet cools.

How is variation in solar output measured, and over what cycle?

By observing sunspots, which increase and decrease over an 11-year cycle (and possibly longer cycles of several hundred years).

True or false? Deforestation is a natural cause of climate change.

False. It is a human cause; the natural causes are orbital changes, volcanic activity and solar output.