1
The weakening of the trade winds causes a warming of the ocean waters off the coast of the Americas. Causing rain and flooding in South America and drier conditions in Australia.
2
The strengthening of the trade winds causing an upwelling of cooler water off the coast of South America. Causing rain and flooding in Australia and SE Asia and drier, cooler conditions in the Americas.
3
Earth's orbit arounds the sun changes from a near perfect circle to an ellipse due to the gravitational pull of Jupiter and Saturn. Happens every 100,000 years
4
The tilt of the earth's axis changes from 22.1 to 24.5. This has the greatest effect on natural climate change. Happens every 41,000 years.
5
The WOBBLE of the earth's axial tilt. This causes the seasons to be opposite. Happens every 26,000 years.
6
A series of cyclical changes in Earth's orbit that affect the climate over thousands of years
7
The time when a planet's poles are most extremely tilted toward or away from the sun it orbits. This time has either the shortest or longest days.
8
The time or date (twice each year) at which the sun is directly over the equator. When day and night are of approximately equal length.
9
The point in the orbit of a planet when it is closest to the sun.
10
The point in the orbit of a planet when it is at its most distant to the sun.
11
A measurement of the amount of sunlight that a surface reflects
12
A large system of circulating water currents that are driven by wind, tides, and differences in temperature and salinity
13
A type of electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than visible light but longer than X-rays
14
The movement back and forth at a regular speeds
15
A natural process that warms the Earth's surface by trapping heat in the atmosphere
16
A highly reactive gas composed of three oxygen atoms. It is both a natural and a man-made product that occurs in the Earth's upper atmosphere.