CLIMATE
What does climate do for us?
We need to live on a planet whose climate is not too hot and not too cold.
Earth is a good planet to live on because of its climate.
Every region on the planet has a climate based on its temperature and rainfall levels.
Weather is the current happening in the air with the interactions of wind, temperature, clouds, moisture and air pressure. Climate is the trend of weather conditions over a substantial period of time. Every region on the planet has a climate based on its temperature and rainfall levels.
How Do We Get Our Climate?
Greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, water vapor and methane do the trick to warm our planet. The greenhouse gases give us the greenhouse effect.
Most of Earth is covered with water and most of that water is in the oceans. The oceans influence our climate because the air and oceans exchange heat and water. Heat and water affect climate.
Earth's surface reflects solar radiation back into the atmosphere.
Reflectivity determines how much potential heat bounces off into space. Heat affects climate.
Large ice packs in the Arctic and Greenland act as reflectors to bounce the Sun’s rays back into space instead of trapping the heat in Earth’s atmosphere.
What Are Threats To Our Climate?
What Does Climate Change Mean To Us?
Climate change causes temperature changes. Temperature change impacts where food can grow.Climate change causes sea level to rise because of thermal expansion in the oceans as well as melting polar ice. This impacts where people can live.
Climate change can cause severe droughts. Droughts affect drinking water supplies and food production.
What Keeps Our Climate In Balance?
Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas which warms Earth through the greenhouse effect.
Plants and trees take carbon dioxide out of the air through photosynthesis.
Oceans take large amounts of carbon dioxide out of the air.
The heat in carbon dioxide warms the ocean water.
The most important thing is to make sure that the oceans don’t get too warm.
Deforestation happens when forest trees are cut down without replanting. When trees are cut down, less carbon dioxide is taken out of the air because photosynthesis is not taking place.
Paving over grassy places to build homes, shopping plazas and parking spaces means that fewer green areas are taking carbon dioxide out of the air.
People do things that put more greenhouse gases into the air.
Putting more greenhouse gases into the air by burning fossil fuels increases the temperature of the atmosphere and our planet.
Conserve energy by turning off lights and unplugging electronics when they are not in use. This keeps additional carbon dioxide out of the air.
Climate stays in balance when we put less carbon dioxide into the air.
One way is not using cars when not necessary and driving eco friendly cars.
The composition of our air is part of climate balance.
There is more nitrogen in our air than any other gas.
Greenhouse gases make up a small part of our air but pack a powerful punch.
WARMTH
PLANTS & TREES
WEATHER
GREENHOUSE GASES
OCEANS
SURFACE REFLECTIVITY
What Else Keeps Our Climate In Balance?
FORESTS
OCEANS
AIR
ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORTATION
REDUCE, REUSE & RECYCLE
TURN IT OFF
MORE GREENHOUSE GASES
DEFORESTATION
LESS GREEN AREAS
CHANGES TO FOOD SUPPLY
CHANGES TO SEA LEVEL
DROUGHTS
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Earth has different climates that are perfect for growing plants and trees.
Plants and trees give us oxygen that we breathe and food that we eat.
Plants and trees also take carbon dioxide out of the air.
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GREENHOUSE GASES, OCEANS and SURFACE REFLECTIVITY
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Water reflects just 10% of sunlight.
FORESTS, OCEANS & AIR
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MORE GREENHOUSE GASES, DEFORESTATION , LESS GREEN AREAS & WARMING OCEANS
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CHANGES TO FOOD SUPPLY, CHANGES TO SEA LEVEL, CHANGES TO WATER SUPPLIES & SEVERE WEATHER
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ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORTATION, REDUCE, REUSE & RECYCLE & TURN IT OFF
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Reduce, reuse, recycle & up cycle to reduce our need to manufacture more products. This keeps additional carbon dioxide out of the air.
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WARMTH, WEATHER and PLANTS & TREES
Climate = The average weather conditions of a region over a long period of time.
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Greenhouse Gases:
Carbon Dioxide
Water Vapor
Methane
Greenhouse Gases:
Carbon Dioxide
Water Vapor
Methane
0.01-4%
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Ocean temperature has a tremendous influence on keeping our climate in balance.
Earth’s huge polar ice packs are melting. When there is less ice, there is less surface reflectivity.WARMING OCEANS
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EXTREME WEATHER
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As Earth’s water warms, evaporation rates increase, resulting in more water vapor. More water vapor means there are more clouds ready to drop more rain and snow. It is evident, of course, that precipitation does not fall equally.
Snow reflects 85% of sunlight.
Copyright ©1986-2023 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Nature's Natives® is a simplified representation of how nature works.
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Weather = Current happenings in the air with the interactions of wind, temperature, clouds, moisture and air pressure.
PROMOTING CHILDREN'S ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY
It is About Air, Food, Water and Climate...for Today and Tomorrow
