Climate change: evidence, causes and effects

Look at Fig. 4 in the Resource Booklet.

Identify two important messages shown in Fig. 4.

Explain one consequence of climate change currently being experienced.

Evaluate the reliability of paintings and diaries as evidence for climate change.

Which one of the following is a natural cause of climate change?

A burning fossil fuels

B cattle farming

C changes in the Earth’s orbit

D deforestation

Look at Fig. 5 in the Resource Booklet.

Which statement correctly describes the movement of air in a Hadley Cell?

A cold air descends at 0° and rises at 30°

B cold air descends at 30° and rises at 60°

C warm air descends at 0° and rises at 30°

D warm air rises at 0° and descends at 30°

Use Fig. 5 to explain how the global circulation of the atmosphere leads to different extreme weather conditions at the equator and the poles.

CASE STUDY

Causes of drought

Drought event studied:........

Explain the causes of the drought event.

Look at Fig. 2a and Fig. 2b in the Resource Booklet.

Fig. 2a shows average global temperatures for the last 400 000 years.

Fig. 2b shows carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere for the last 400 000 years.

State the lowest temperature shown on Fig. 2a.

Give your answer as a whole number.

Which of the statements is a correct definition of an ice age ?

A Cooling average global temperatures causing increased snowfall

B Lower than average global temperatures when glacial ice covers more land

C Variable average global temperatures causing glacial ice to form and melt

D Warming average temperatures causing glacial ice to melt

Look at Fig. 2a and Fig. 2b.

Describe the relationship between average global temperatures and carbon dioxide levels.

Greenhouse gases are one cause of increases in global temperatures.

Explain one possible natural cause of increases in global temperatures.

Look at Fig. 3 in the Resource Booklet, which shows extreme weather and climate events costing one billion dollars in the USA from 2010 to 2017.

Which type of event, shown in Fig. 3, occurred most often in 2017?

Suggest how the increased frequency of extreme weather and climate events, shown in Fig. 3, may be a consequence of global climate change.

Explain how the global circulation of the atmosphere leads to extreme wet weather conditions in one part of the world.

* CASE STUDY

Effects of a drought event

Drought event you have studied:........

For a drought event you have studied, examine how far the environmental effects had an impact on people.

Study Fig. 3 in the separate Resource Booklet, which shows changes in greenhouse gas levels from 1985 to 2020.

Suggest how changes to greenhouse gas levels shown in Fig. 3 may have affected the global climate from 1985 to 2020.

Explain how one human activity is responsible for increased levels of greenhouse gases.

Explain how ice cores show evidence of climate change over longer periods of time.

* CASE STUDY – Drought caused by El Niño/La Niña

Drought event studied:........

Evaluate the success of methods used to adapt to the effects of drought on people and the environment.

Spelling, punctuation and grammar and the use of specialist terminology

Study Fig. 4 in the separate Resource Booklet, which shows changes in global temperature and carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels since 1000 AD.

Which one of the following events is associated with the period of time labelled X on Fig. 4 ?

A Medieval Warming

B Modern Warming

C The Ice Age

D The Little Ice Age

Which of the following is the correct difference between the highest and lowest average global temperatures shown on Fig. 4 ?

A 0.2 °C

B 0.5 °C

C 0.8 °C

D 1.2 °C

Explain how the enhanced greenhouse effect contributes to global warming.

State two natural causes of climate change.

Explain why tropical storms only occur over tropical and sub-tropical oceans.

* CASE STUDY – El Niño/La Niña drought event

Drought event studied:........

Assess whether the only cause of this drought event was the extreme weather conditions of El Niño/La Niña.

Choose the correct idea from A, B, C, D to complete the following statement:

Greenhouse gases cause the enhanced greenhouse effect because they …

A allow heat from the earth to escape into space.

B block incoming heat from the sun.

C release heat into the atmosphere.

D trap heat from the earth in the atmosphere.

Study Fig. 3 in the separate Resource Booklet, which shows possible flooding in England and Wales linked to a two-metre rise in sea level.

Name the region of England on Fig. 3 with the shortest length of coastline at risk of flooding.

Calculate the number of properties at risk of flooding in the South East region as a percentage of the total for England.

Show your working out. Give your answer as a whole number.

Suggest how rising sea levels could be a consequence of climate change.

Other than rising sea levels and coastal flooding, state two possible consequences of climate change.

Study Fig. 4 in the separate Resource Booklet, showing evidence of climate change.

Evaluate the reliability of Fig. 4 as evidence of climate change over time.

Explain how one source of evidence, other than a painting such as Fig. 4, is used to study climate change.

Explain the causes of the extreme weather conditions linked to tropical storms.

Which of the following statements describes the circulation of air at the North Pole?

A Rising cool, dry air

B Rising warm air

C Sinking cold, dry air

D Sinking warm, moist air

Which of the following statements describes the circulation of air at the Equator?

A Cool, dry air descends

B Cool, dry air rises

C Warm, moist air rises

D Warm, moist air sinks

Explain how the global circulation of the atmosphere is controlled by the movement of air between the poles and the Equator.

Outline two theories of natural causes of climate change.

Study Fig. 3, a cartoon about climate change.

Using evidence from Fig. 3, explain one way that climate change may affect people’s lives.

* Assess which evidence of global climate change is considered to be the most reliable.