Hyperthermal event

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/hyperthermal-event

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 event classification?Abrupt, significant global warming episodes occurring over thousands of years
2. What is the primary forcing mechanism?Massive, rapid injection of greenhouse gases (CO2, CH4) into the atmosphere

Paleoclimatology: The study of past climates and the methods used to determine them.
Methane hydrates: Crystalline solids composed of methane gas trapped within a crystal structure of water.
Ocean acidification: The ongoing decrease in the pH of the Earth's oceans, caused by the uptake of anthropogenic CO2.
Positive feedback loop: A process that amplifies an initial change, leading to further change in the same direction.