Topic #3 - Possible Causes of Climatic Change
Large changes in climate have occurred on the earth over a wide
range of time scales. This section discusses some of the
processes that scientists think may have caused these changes.
You can earn up to 9 pts on the content portion of your report and up
to 6 pts for writing quality.
Content points will be awarded approximately
as follows:
Up to 2 pts for explaining and distinquishing between positive and
negative feedback processes. You could also give an example or
two of a feedback process.
Up to 1.5 pts for explaining how plate tectonics could cause climate
change. This is a mechanism that could cause climatic change over
tens and hundreds of millions of years.
Up to 2 pts for a summary of the Milankovitch theory. You should
try to explain eccentricity, precession, and obliquity in your own
words and not just repeat the definitions given in the text.
Up to 1.5 pts for explaining how tropospheric and stratospheric
aerosols (particles) can affect climate.
Up to 1 pt each for some discussion of Variations in Solar Output, The
Runaway Greenhouse Effect on Venus, and the Nuclear Winter scenario.
To maximize your chances of earning a
high writing quality grade:
Explain the material in your own
words - your report should be your understanding and explanation of the
material. Avoid generalites, try to should include specific
details and examples from the reading section. Your report should
be well organized and the separate
sections or paragraphs of your paper should blend together into one
seamless coherent report. Your report should be
nearly free of misspelled words and grammatical errors.