Climate

High school (ages 12+)
Environment & Earth

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/climate

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the climate system components?Includes the atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere, and their interactions
2. What is the major climate classification systems?Köppen climate classification (temperature, precipitation) and Thornthwaite system (evapotranspiration, temperature, precipitation)
3. Why does the Earth’s climate change over time?Climate changes because of things like the Sun’s rays, the shape of the land, oceans, and how humans use the land, all of which affect temperature, rain, and wind.
4. How do scientists learn about past climates?Scientists look at clues left in ice, rocks, lake beds, and tree rings. These clues tell them what the temperature and rain were like long ago.

Variability (Climate): The extent to which climate conditions fluctuate around their average values over time.
Proxy Variables: Indirect indicators preserved in natural archives used to infer past environmental conditions.
Climate Models: Mathematical simulations used to represent the behavior of the climate system and project future changes.