Climate Time Line

Type of Resource: Link

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Description

This simulation is an interdisciplinary timeline that has been developed to show key events in the climatic history of the planet, alongside events in human history.

Ask questions to identify and/or clarify evidence and/or the premise(s) of an argument.

Ask questions that arise from examining models or a theory, to clarify and/or seek additional information and relationships.

Weather and climate are influenced by interactions involving sunlight, the ocean, the atmosphere, ice, landforms, and living things. These interactions vary with latitude, altitude, and local and regional geography, all of which can affect oceanic and atmospheric flow patterns.

The geologic record shows that changes to global and regional climate can be caused by interactions among changes in the sun’s energy output or Earth’s orbit, tectonic events, ocean circulation, volcanic activity, glaciers, vegetation, and human activities. These changes can occur on a variety of time scales from sudden (e.g., volcanic ash clouds) to intermediate (ice ages) to very long-term tectonic cycles.

The planet’s systems interact over scales that range from microscopic to global in size, and they operate over fractions of a second to billions of years. These interactions have shaped Earth’s history and will determine its future.

The significance of a phenomenon is dependent on the scale, proportion, and quantity at which it occurs.

Time, space, and energy phenomena can be observed at various scales using models to study systems that are too large or too small.

Phenomena that can be observed at one scale may not be observable at another scale.

The observed function of natural and designed systems may change with scale.

Some systems can only be studied indirectly as they are too small, too large, too fast, or too slow to observe directly.

Patterns observable at one scale may not be observable or exist at other scales.