Plate Tectonics And Ocean Currents Influence Climate Change

While plate tectonics may have direct effects on the amount of carbon sequestered into the deep carbon cycle, they may also have other, less well known effects. According to Climatic Variation in Earth History (Barron, n.d.) plate tectonics can effect global climate through continental distribution, which can affect the planet’s albedo, transfers of latent heat, thermal inertia, and restrict ocean currents; and continental elevation, which can affect regional climate and large-scale circulation of weather and air. Potential differences in albedo and high latitude land area can have a substantial effect on the amount of solar energy reflected back into the atmosphere instead of being absorbed by the surface of the Earth. Albedo refers to the

The Earth has been experiencing a considerable amount of climate change for the last several decades. Natural factors that contribute to the climate system consist of: solar output, volcanic activity and earth’s orbit around the sun. The two factors relevant on timescales of contemporary climate exist in volcanic activity and changes in solar radiation. The earth’s energy balance primarily influences the amount of incoming energy from volcanic eruptions, which have a relatively short-term effect on climate. Changes in solar output have contributed greatly to climate trends over the past century. The effect of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has been at least ten times that of changes in the Sun’s output and the ocean covers more than 70 percent of the earth’s surface, receiving twice the amount of earth’s radiation. Although the sun is the engine that drives all the weather, oceans and atmosphere control the sun 's energy along certain

The ocean's surface waters are separated from colder, deeper water by a thermocline. The upwelling of cold waters, along the equator in the eastern half of the pacific basin, can be blocked when sea level is high, resulting in warm events. When sea levels are low the thermocline tends to be shallow, allowing upwelling motions to bring cold water to the surface, resulting in cold conditions. How it's measured is by devices used to track decadal variability and climate patterns which includes thermometers, rain gauges, and stream gauges. Sea surfaces temperature is important in tracking ENSO and other ocean oscillations. This can be measured by the distance

As the ocean has “specific heat capacity thousands times that of air” [Science line 2015] this then in turn means that the air above the water is heated not necessarily to the same temperature but it does rise. Furthermore, this then can being to cause a chain reaction effect with global warming. Firstly let’s put this in perspective imagine that everything is heating up meaning that the water is beginning to heat up as well. Now the water begins to increase the temperature in the air above it, after that the heat within the air is transported all around the world dude to the ocean currents. From here, it is easy to see how global warming effects the whole planet at once. [Science line

The motion of the tectonic plates can affect the distribution of organisms based on the different climate affects that they may have. Some organisms may have to evolve to survive a new environment or migrate to a new area in which they can survive,

The ice of Antarctica plays an important part of the global climate, “…the ice cover regulates exchange of heat, moisture, and gases between the surrounding atmosphere and the ocean, which eventually affects the whole Earth” (). The ocean currents created by the Antarctica ice plays a necessary role in the earth’s climate. . “…when the sea ice begins to form, it rejects the brine, which eventually increases the density of the upper ocean water. This water sinks and comes to be known as deep ocean current. These currents carry heat, which affect the climate

Climate change can be caused by many different things for example, the differences of solar radiations that’s received by the earth, volcanic eruptions, plate tectonics and human activities have also influenced climate change are often talked about as global warming (Jennings, 2011). Scientist have been trying to figure out the past and future climate by making observations and using theoretical models. There is a climate record of earths past and to this day scientists are continuing to add information. The geological evidence is from cores removed from ice that’s been accumulated, stable-isotope, glacial process and other investigations of sediment layers (Jennings, 2011).

The studies of Earth have shown that in the last hundred years, the temperature has gone up one degree Fahrenheit. Even just one degree can make a big difference to the Earth’s natural form. The warming of the Earth has caused the snow and ice to melt much faster and the ocean levels to rise. In the next hundred years the effects will be more severe.

The ocean has existed for around 4.6 billion years after the Earth was created. It plays an essential part in order to maintain life on Earth by maintaining the habitable climate. Due to the ocean, the Earth is able to sustain moderate weather and temperature, in contrast to the moon, which has extreme temperatures. The ocean and atmosphere are tightly linked, so when one fluctuates, the other will too. For example, weather in the atmosphere can directly affect the ocean’s temperature and currents. Also, the ocean plays a critical role in storing heat where the ocean is able to absorb more heat and it will take longer time for the ocean to revert to normal. After the heat has been absorbed, the ocean currents will transport the heat and influence the climate. The ocean has a major impact on global climate because of its connection to the atmosphere and abilities to store, and transfer heat around the Earth.

The main contributor to climate change is the human race, but there are some natural factors that are contributing as well as humans. Volcanic eruptions and changes in irradiance can be factors that influence climate change. Although they can cause changes to the climate, they are short term

As this continues to occur, not only is our atmosphere getting warmer but by doing so, so is our water. And since our oceans water help absorb most of the excess heat our atmosphere creates, when it absorbs too much heat (making the water warmer) it affects the lives of the animals

Many different things can cause climate change. It can happen over a long period of time or a short period of time, but their still still are major or minor effects. Plate tectonics is one of the causes, changes in earth's land and sea causes changes in climate over a long period of time. Earth's Orbital Motions is another cause. Changes in the shape of Earth’s orbit and tilt of earth’s axis affect global climate over medium time scales. If the Earth is tilted towards and is closer to the sun then it would cause climate change because it would be warmer.

There are many ideas of what is causing climate changes in our atmosphere. Everything from visible or sensible changes any person can determine, like how we are experiencing a lot more hotter days in what is suppose to be cooler seasons, to in depth-researched changes from scientist, such as

atmospheric heat fluxes at short time period and the heat capacity of the ocean integrates the

Climate change does not just increase the temperature, it also causes a change in precipitation, wind, humidity, a change in seasons, and lastly a decrease in temperature. The effects of the changes are