Topic G3: PAST LIFE AND PAST CLIMATES Key Idea 2:A combination of global factors contributes to climate change through geological time Knowledge and Geological Comments understanding techniques and skills a. Long-term changes to the Analysis of present day Candidates will be expected to global climate, composition oceanic and atmospheric identify stages of the J. Tuzo of the atmosphere, sea circulation in relation to Wilson Cycle in the current level and distribution of the climatic effects. distributions of oceans and continents are recorded in continents for comparison with the Phanerozoic rock previous arrangements. record. The J. Tuzo Wilson Cycle provides a Candidates will be expected to framework for Analysis of data used to analyse climatic data including understanding these long determine past climatic ice cores, deep sea ocean term changes. regimes. cores and fossils (plants and animals) to establish past climates. b. Changes in the Evaluation of the atmospheric composition contribution of naturally of greenhouse gases produced CO2 and methane to climate (especially CO2 and change with time. methane) result from natural processes (volcanic activity, rock weathering, warming of methane hydrates) throughout geological time. c. There have been climate Analyses of graphs changes throughout showing different rates of geological time. The climate change. current rate of change appears to differ from those in the past. d. The Anthropocene is a Evaluation of the Teachers may find the proposed epoch that arguments in the debate following resource useful: began when human for the inclusion of the activities changed the Anthropocene as a new epoch. Earth’s surface environment on a scale comparable with the major events of the geological past. There is currently a lack of consensus for the proposed epoch.
Topic G3: PAST LIFE AND PAST CLIMATES Key Idea 2:A combination of global factors contributes to climate change through geological time Knowledge and understanding Geological techniques and skills Comments a. Long-term changes to the global climate, composition of the atmosphere, sea level and distribution of the continents are recorded in the Phanerozoic rock record. The J. Tuzo Wilson Cycle provides a framework for understanding these long term changes. Analysis of present day oceanic and atmospheric circulation in relation to climatic effects. Analysis of data used to determine past climatic regimes. Candidates will be expected to identify stages of the J. Tuzo Wilson Cycle in the current distributions of oceans and continents for comparison with previous arrangements. Candidates will be expected to analyse climatic data including ice cores, deep sea ocean cores and fossils (plants and animals) to establish past climates. b. Changes in the atmospheric composition of greenhouse gases (especially CO2 and methane) result from natural processes (volcanic activity, rock weathering, warming of methane hydrates) throughout geological time. Evaluation of the contribution of naturally produced CO2 and methane to climate change with time. c. There have been climate changes throughout geological time. The current rate of change appears to differ from those in the past. Analyses of graphs showing different rates of climate change. d. The Anthropocene is a proposed epoch that began when human activities changed the Earth’s surface environment on a scale comparable with the major events of the geological past. There is currently a lack of consensus for the proposed epoch. Evaluation of the arguments in the debate for the inclusion of the Anthropocene as a new epoch. Teachers may find the following resource useful: