Lecture 21

Introduction to Global Change & Ice Ages

Today's objectives -

• To get an introduction to climate change.
• To learn why Earth’s climate changes over time.
• To learn how we know that it has changed over time.
• To learn some of the effects that these changes have had on the Earth.

Vocabulary -

Weather –
Climate –
Global Warming –
Ice Age (Icehouse) –
Greenhouse –
Forcing –
Response –
Forcing factors –
Response times –
Milankovich cycle –
Earth orbit –
Spin axis –
Sunspots –

Lecture Outline -

Global Change and climate
Evidence of global change
            Geologic record
            Real-time
Evidence of climate change
            tree rings
            sediments
            ice cores
            pollen
            isotopes
Oxygen isotopes
Carbon isotopes
Causes of climate change
Forcing factors
            solar radiation
            Earth’s orbital dynamics
            plate tectonics