Climate Change Timeline
docx
keyboard_arrow_up
School
Southern New Hampshire University *
*We aren’t endorsed by this school
Course
305
Subject
Geography
Date
Dec 6, 2023
Type
docx
Pages
4
Uploaded by pinkrinos
1
Climate Change Timeline
Laura Rinehart
Southern New Hampshire University
ENV-305/ Global Climate Change
Andrew Elliott
24SEP23
2
Climate Change Timeline
Climate has changed many times since its creation. From extreme heat and arid
temperatures to times of extreme CO
2
and volcanic action. During the Proterozoic Eon, the Sun
was 30% weaker. Earth was a frozen planet and had a higher level of CO
2
. With all the ice
Origin of
Earth 4.5
billion
years ago
3.8
billion
years ago
first
forms of
life
750-630
million
years ago
(Ma)
Frozen
Earth , or
"Snowball
"
Very Hot
Earth,
within
2,000 year
transition
Continental
drift,
changes in
circulatons,
most
extensive
glaciation
310-290Ma Permo-
Carboniferous
Glaciation. Glacial
striations formed in
rocks in South
Africa, coldst period
on Earth so far
The Great Extinction:
Permo-Triassic
Climate Crisis 299-
206Ma. Extreme
warming, dry arid
planet.
252Ma warm toxic
oceans are full of
bacteria, lower levels
of O
2
, extincting of
95% marine mammals
and 70% vertebrates
in 10Ma
Start of Cretaceous
Period, 145-66Ma.
Primitave dinosours
adapted for low
oxygen, hot and
humid
Pangeaa starts to
seperate, Triassic
snd Jurassic periods,
deep rift valleys
form and flood.
New mountains
formed at plate
edges. High CO2,
Global warming
Phytoplankton
and carbon
absorbing
shales, cause
cooling
65Ma, impact of
large meteroite,
60% species
become extinct.
End of the
Cretaceous
Period.
66Ma,
Cenozoic Era,
Current
geological era.
Rapid evolution
Paleocence Epoch
65-55Ma, rapid
global climate
change. Close
geological
similarities to
current day
greenhouse gases.
52Ma The Great
Global Cooling.
34-23Ma Ice
Sheets during the
Oligocene Epoch,
rapid fall of CO2
leves.
30Ma Final
contentent break
up, of Southern
Continent, South
America and
Australia form,
large Antarctic Ice
Sheets form
Miocene
Epoch, 14Ma
temperatres
fell, grasslands
develope,
mammals
evolved
Pliocene Epoch,
5.3-2.5 Ma, what
our future could
look like, CO2
levels and
temperatrues are
similar to current
4Ma,
Apperance of
Mankind type
species
Quaternary
Period, 2.58 Ma
to present. Many
ycles of warming
and cooling,
3
coverage, the Sun's energy is reflected, hindering surface evaporation. The moving of the plate
tectonics caused volcanos to form and erupt. The gases and ash from the eruptions caused a
greenhouse effect, warming the Earth to temperatures even warmer than what we currently have.
As the climate continued to warm, ice melted, causing warmer air to circulate and transfer energy
towards the poles. As the plates shift, it causes the climate to change as well. All aspects are
related, as seen in the timeline. When one element changes, it has a chain reaction on the entire
planet. The Milankovitch cycle also played a part in the changing climate of Earth.
All the changes are both positive and negative. All changes are needed to create the Earth
we have today. Fossil fuels, islands, and the current location of the continents all happened
because of change. The meteorite that impacted the Yucatan Peninsula 65 million years ago was
an outside entity that changed Earth so drastically that it killed off 60% of the Earth’s species. I
imagine humans looking more reptilian if this had not happened.
Climate change in the future will have a significant impact on Earth. An increase in CO
2
will cause temperature increases, ice sheets to melt, and oceans to rise. All of these will cause
islands to be submerged, causing all inhabitants to flee. Coastal areas will be more susceptible to
flooding and erosion. All species will have to adapt to a higher concentration of CO
2
in the
atmosphere.
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
4
References
Kitchen, D.
(2016). Global Climate Change. [VitalSource Bookshelf 10.4.0]. Retrieved from
vbk://9781315506630