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Recent Extreme Weather Examples
The UK has been smashed by some absolutely mental weather in recent years. Kent hit a scorching 38.5°C in 2008, whilst the Beast from the East in March 2018 brought Arctic conditions that had everyone panic-buying bread and milk.
Things got even weirder in 2019 when February temperatures reached 21.2°C at Kew Gardens , and Lincolnshire got hammered with 7.5 times its monthly rainfall in just three days during June.
Global warming is pumping more energy into our atmosphere, creating more intense storms and unpredictable weather patterns. The most mental bit? Six of the ten most active hurricane years in the North Atlantic since 1950 have happened since the mid-1990s.
Quick Fact: Storm Ellen and Storm Frances hit the UK within just three days of each other in 2020 - the most notable storms in 50 years!
The jet streams that normally push weather systems across the UK are getting "stuck" more often. When this happens, we end up with the same weather for ages - either boiling hot spells or endless rain. Scientists reckon this is happening because the Arctic is warming faster than other regions, which slows down the jet stream and leaves us trapped under the same weather pattern for longer.
Climate Change Through Time
Your planet's been on a wild temperature ride for millions of years, and understanding this helps explain why today's climate change is so significant. Over the past 5.5 million years, Earth's temperature has generally been cooling down, but the ups and downs have become more dramatic.
The Quaternary period (the last 2 million years) shows a clear pattern of alternating cold periods called glacials and warm periods called interglacials. These swings happen roughly every 100,000 years, and here's the kicker - today's temperature is higher than almost all of the last 400,000 years.
Since 1880, things have really kicked off. Global temperature has risen by 0.85°C compared to the 1901-2000 average, with the steepest rise happening since the 1980s.
Reality Check: That 0.85°C might not sound like much, but it's absolutely massive on a global scale - enough to trigger the extreme weather we're seeing today.
The graphs show that whilst natural climate swings used to take thousands of years, we're now seeing rapid changes within decades. This speed of change is what makes current climate change so different from anything our planet has experienced before.
Finding Evidence of Past Climates
Scientists are basically climate detectives, digging up clues about Earth's weather history from some pretty clever places. Sediment cores from lake bottoms contain pollen that reveals what plants were growing thousands of years ago - tropical pollen means the climate was much warmer back then.
Ice cores are like nature's time capsules. Scientists drill deep into ancient ice and extract air bubbles that contain CO₂ from thousands of years ago. Low CO₂ levels usually mean the climate was colder, whilst high levels suggest warmer periods.
Dendrochronology (tree ring dating) shows annual growth patterns in trees. Thick rings mean good growing conditions with warm, wet weather, whilst thin rings suggest harsh years with cold or dry conditions.
Cool Fact: Fossils of animals that now live in warm climates tell us those areas used to be much hotter - imagine finding crocodile fossils in Scotland!
Milankovitch cycles explain the natural climate swings over thousands of years. Earth's orbit changes shape every 100,000 years, its tilt shifts every 41,000 years, and it wobbles like a spinning top every 26,000 years. When these cycles align, they can trigger ice ages or super-warm periods.
Sunspot cycles also affect our climate. The sun goes through 11-year cycles from minimum to maximum sunspot activity, with maximum periods creating solar flares that pump out more heat.
Volcanic Climate Disruption
Volcanic activity can proper mess with global climate by chucking massive amounts of debris into the atmosphere. This stuff blocks sunlight and creates sulphuric acid droplets that reflect heat away from Earth, causing temperatures to plummet.
The 1815 eruption of Mt Tambora in Indonesia shows just how mental volcanic impacts can be. Global temperatures dropped by 0.4°C to 0.7°C, which might not sound like much but caused widespread crop failures and famines that killed around 200,000 people.
Mind-Blowing Fact: One massive volcanic eruption can affect global weather patterns for years, proving how interconnected our planet's climate system really is.
Understanding these natural causes of climate change helps scientists work out what's normal variation and what's being caused by human activities. Whilst volcanoes and solar cycles have always influenced our climate, the current rapid warming is happening way too fast to be explained by natural causes alone.
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This app is really great. There are so many study notes and help [...]. My problem subject is French, for example, and the app has so many options for help. Thanks to this app, I have improved my French. I would recommend it to anyone.
Samantha Klich
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Wow, I am really amazed. I just tried the app because I've seen it advertised many times and was absolutely stunned. This app is THE HELP you want for school and above all, it offers so many things, such as workouts and fact sheets, which have been VERY helpful to me personally.
Anna
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Best app on earth! no words because it’s too good
Thomas R
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Just amazing. Let's me revise 10x better, this app is a quick 10/10. I highly recommend it to anyone. I can watch and search for notes. I can save them in the subject folder. I can revise it any time when I come back. If you haven't tried this app, you're really missing out.
Basil
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This app has made me feel so much more confident in my exam prep, not only through boosting my own self confidence through the features that allow you to connect with others and feel less alone, but also through the way the app itself is centred around making you feel better. It is easy to navigate, fun to use, and helpful to anyone struggling in absolutely any way.
David K
iOS user
The app's just great! All I have to do is enter the topic in the search bar and I get the response real fast. I don't have to watch 10 YouTube videos to understand something, so I'm saving my time. Highly recommended!
Sudenaz Ocak
Android user
In school I was really bad at maths but thanks to the app, I am doing better now. I am so grateful that you made the app.
Greenlight Bonnie
Android user
very reliable app to help and grow your ideas of Maths, English and other related topics in your works. please use this app if your struggling in areas, this app is key for that. wish I'd of done a review before. and it's also free so don't worry about that.
Rohan U
Android user
I know a lot of apps use fake accounts to boost their reviews but this app deserves it all. Originally I was getting 4 in my English exams and this time I got a grade 7. I didn’t even know about this app three days until the exam and it has helped A LOT. Please actually trust me and use it as I’m sure you too will see developments.
Xander S
iOS user
THE QUIZES AND FLASHCARDS ARE SO USEFUL AND I LOVE THE SCHOOLGPT. IT ALSO IS LITREALLY LIKE CHATGPT BUT SMARTER!! HELPED ME WITH MY MASCARA PROBLEMS TOO!! AS WELL AS MY REAL SUBJECTS ! DUHHH 😍😁😲🤑💗✨🎀😮
Elisha
iOS user
This apps acc the goat. I find revision so boring but this app makes it so easy to organize it all and then you can ask the freeeee ai to test yourself so good and you can easily upload your own stuff. highly recommend as someone taking mocks now
Paul T
iOS user
The app is very easy to use and well designed. I have found everything I was looking for so far and have been able to learn a lot from the presentations! I will definitely use the app for a class assignment! And of course it also helps a lot as an inspiration.
Stefan S
iOS user
This app is really great. There are so many study notes and help [...]. My problem subject is French, for example, and the app has so many options for help. Thanks to this app, I have improved my French. I would recommend it to anyone.
Samantha Klich
Android user
Wow, I am really amazed. I just tried the app because I've seen it advertised many times and was absolutely stunned. This app is THE HELP you want for school and above all, it offers so many things, such as workouts and fact sheets, which have been VERY helpful to me personally.
Anna
iOS user
Best app on earth! no words because it’s too good
Thomas R
iOS user
Just amazing. Let's me revise 10x better, this app is a quick 10/10. I highly recommend it to anyone. I can watch and search for notes. I can save them in the subject folder. I can revise it any time when I come back. If you haven't tried this app, you're really missing out.
Basil
Android user
This app has made me feel so much more confident in my exam prep, not only through boosting my own self confidence through the features that allow you to connect with others and feel less alone, but also through the way the app itself is centred around making you feel better. It is easy to navigate, fun to use, and helpful to anyone struggling in absolutely any way.
David K
iOS user
The app's just great! All I have to do is enter the topic in the search bar and I get the response real fast. I don't have to watch 10 YouTube videos to understand something, so I'm saving my time. Highly recommended!
Sudenaz Ocak
Android user
In school I was really bad at maths but thanks to the app, I am doing better now. I am so grateful that you made the app.
Greenlight Bonnie
Android user
very reliable app to help and grow your ideas of Maths, English and other related topics in your works. please use this app if your struggling in areas, this app is key for that. wish I'd of done a review before. and it's also free so don't worry about that.
Rohan U
Android user
I know a lot of apps use fake accounts to boost their reviews but this app deserves it all. Originally I was getting 4 in my English exams and this time I got a grade 7. I didn’t even know about this app three days until the exam and it has helped A LOT. Please actually trust me and use it as I’m sure you too will see developments.
Xander S
iOS user
THE QUIZES AND FLASHCARDS ARE SO USEFUL AND I LOVE THE SCHOOLGPT. IT ALSO IS LITREALLY LIKE CHATGPT BUT SMARTER!! HELPED ME WITH MY MASCARA PROBLEMS TOO!! AS WELL AS MY REAL SUBJECTS ! DUHHH 😍😁😲🤑💗✨🎀😮
Elisha
iOS user
This apps acc the goat. I find revision so boring but this app makes it so easy to organize it all and then you can ask the freeeee ai to test yourself so good and you can easily upload your own stuff. highly recommend as someone taking mocks now
Paul T
iOS user
Understanding Climate Change: AQA GCSE Geography
Ever wondered why the UK's weather seems to be getting more bonkers each year? From record-breaking heatwaves to storms that batter the coastline, extreme weather is becoming our new normal, and it's all connected to how our planet's climate has... Show more
Recent Extreme Weather Examples
The UK has been smashed by some absolutely mental weather in recent years. Kent hit a scorching 38.5°C in 2008, whilst the Beast from the East in March 2018 brought Arctic conditions that had everyone panic-buying bread and milk.
Things got even weirder in 2019 when February temperatures reached 21.2°C at Kew Gardens , and Lincolnshire got hammered with 7.5 times its monthly rainfall in just three days during June.
Global warming is pumping more energy into our atmosphere, creating more intense storms and unpredictable weather patterns. The most mental bit? Six of the ten most active hurricane years in the North Atlantic since 1950 have happened since the mid-1990s.
Quick Fact: Storm Ellen and Storm Frances hit the UK within just three days of each other in 2020 - the most notable storms in 50 years!
The jet streams that normally push weather systems across the UK are getting "stuck" more often. When this happens, we end up with the same weather for ages - either boiling hot spells or endless rain. Scientists reckon this is happening because the Arctic is warming faster than other regions, which slows down the jet stream and leaves us trapped under the same weather pattern for longer.
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Improve your grades
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Climate Change Through Time
Your planet's been on a wild temperature ride for millions of years, and understanding this helps explain why today's climate change is so significant. Over the past 5.5 million years, Earth's temperature has generally been cooling down, but the ups and downs have become more dramatic.
The Quaternary period (the last 2 million years) shows a clear pattern of alternating cold periods called glacials and warm periods called interglacials. These swings happen roughly every 100,000 years, and here's the kicker - today's temperature is higher than almost all of the last 400,000 years.
Since 1880, things have really kicked off. Global temperature has risen by 0.85°C compared to the 1901-2000 average, with the steepest rise happening since the 1980s.
Reality Check: That 0.85°C might not sound like much, but it's absolutely massive on a global scale - enough to trigger the extreme weather we're seeing today.
The graphs show that whilst natural climate swings used to take thousands of years, we're now seeing rapid changes within decades. This speed of change is what makes current climate change so different from anything our planet has experienced before.
Sign up to see the contentIt's free!
Access to all documents
Improve your grades
Join milions of students
By signing up you accept Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
Finding Evidence of Past Climates
Scientists are basically climate detectives, digging up clues about Earth's weather history from some pretty clever places. Sediment cores from lake bottoms contain pollen that reveals what plants were growing thousands of years ago - tropical pollen means the climate was much warmer back then.
Ice cores are like nature's time capsules. Scientists drill deep into ancient ice and extract air bubbles that contain CO₂ from thousands of years ago. Low CO₂ levels usually mean the climate was colder, whilst high levels suggest warmer periods.
Dendrochronology (tree ring dating) shows annual growth patterns in trees. Thick rings mean good growing conditions with warm, wet weather, whilst thin rings suggest harsh years with cold or dry conditions.
Cool Fact: Fossils of animals that now live in warm climates tell us those areas used to be much hotter - imagine finding crocodile fossils in Scotland!
Milankovitch cycles explain the natural climate swings over thousands of years. Earth's orbit changes shape every 100,000 years, its tilt shifts every 41,000 years, and it wobbles like a spinning top every 26,000 years. When these cycles align, they can trigger ice ages or super-warm periods.
Sunspot cycles also affect our climate. The sun goes through 11-year cycles from minimum to maximum sunspot activity, with maximum periods creating solar flares that pump out more heat.
Sign up to see the contentIt's free!
Access to all documents
Improve your grades
Join milions of students
By signing up you accept Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
Volcanic Climate Disruption
Volcanic activity can proper mess with global climate by chucking massive amounts of debris into the atmosphere. This stuff blocks sunlight and creates sulphuric acid droplets that reflect heat away from Earth, causing temperatures to plummet.
The 1815 eruption of Mt Tambora in Indonesia shows just how mental volcanic impacts can be. Global temperatures dropped by 0.4°C to 0.7°C, which might not sound like much but caused widespread crop failures and famines that killed around 200,000 people.
Mind-Blowing Fact: One massive volcanic eruption can affect global weather patterns for years, proving how interconnected our planet's climate system really is.
Understanding these natural causes of climate change helps scientists work out what's normal variation and what's being caused by human activities. Whilst volcanoes and solar cycles have always influenced our climate, the current rapid warming is happening way too fast to be explained by natural causes alone.
We thought you’d never ask...
What is the Knowunity AI companion?
Our AI Companion is a student-focused AI tool that offers more than just answers. Built on millions of Knowunity resources, it provides relevant information, personalised study plans, quizzes, and content directly in the chat, adapting to your individual learning journey.
Where can I download the Knowunity app?
You can download the app from Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
Is Knowunity really free of charge?
That's right! Enjoy free access to study content, connect with fellow students, and get instant help – all at your fingertips.
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Most popular content: Climate Change
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Can't find what you're looking for? Explore other subjects.
Students love us — and so will you.
4.9/5
App Store
4.8/5
Google Play
The app is very easy to use and well designed. I have found everything I was looking for so far and have been able to learn a lot from the presentations! I will definitely use the app for a class assignment! And of course it also helps a lot as an inspiration.
Stefan S
iOS user
This app is really great. There are so many study notes and help [...]. My problem subject is French, for example, and the app has so many options for help. Thanks to this app, I have improved my French. I would recommend it to anyone.
Samantha Klich
Android user
Wow, I am really amazed. I just tried the app because I've seen it advertised many times and was absolutely stunned. This app is THE HELP you want for school and above all, it offers so many things, such as workouts and fact sheets, which have been VERY helpful to me personally.
Anna
iOS user
Best app on earth! no words because it’s too good
Thomas R
iOS user
Just amazing. Let's me revise 10x better, this app is a quick 10/10. I highly recommend it to anyone. I can watch and search for notes. I can save them in the subject folder. I can revise it any time when I come back. If you haven't tried this app, you're really missing out.
Basil
Android user
This app has made me feel so much more confident in my exam prep, not only through boosting my own self confidence through the features that allow you to connect with others and feel less alone, but also through the way the app itself is centred around making you feel better. It is easy to navigate, fun to use, and helpful to anyone struggling in absolutely any way.
David K
iOS user
The app's just great! All I have to do is enter the topic in the search bar and I get the response real fast. I don't have to watch 10 YouTube videos to understand something, so I'm saving my time. Highly recommended!
Sudenaz Ocak
Android user
In school I was really bad at maths but thanks to the app, I am doing better now. I am so grateful that you made the app.
Greenlight Bonnie
Android user
very reliable app to help and grow your ideas of Maths, English and other related topics in your works. please use this app if your struggling in areas, this app is key for that. wish I'd of done a review before. and it's also free so don't worry about that.
Rohan U
Android user
I know a lot of apps use fake accounts to boost their reviews but this app deserves it all. Originally I was getting 4 in my English exams and this time I got a grade 7. I didn’t even know about this app three days until the exam and it has helped A LOT. Please actually trust me and use it as I’m sure you too will see developments.
Xander S
iOS user
THE QUIZES AND FLASHCARDS ARE SO USEFUL AND I LOVE THE SCHOOLGPT. IT ALSO IS LITREALLY LIKE CHATGPT BUT SMARTER!! HELPED ME WITH MY MASCARA PROBLEMS TOO!! AS WELL AS MY REAL SUBJECTS ! DUHHH 😍😁😲🤑💗✨🎀😮
Elisha
iOS user
This apps acc the goat. I find revision so boring but this app makes it so easy to organize it all and then you can ask the freeeee ai to test yourself so good and you can easily upload your own stuff. highly recommend as someone taking mocks now
Paul T
iOS user
The app is very easy to use and well designed. I have found everything I was looking for so far and have been able to learn a lot from the presentations! I will definitely use the app for a class assignment! And of course it also helps a lot as an inspiration.
Stefan S
iOS user
This app is really great. There are so many study notes and help [...]. My problem subject is French, for example, and the app has so many options for help. Thanks to this app, I have improved my French. I would recommend it to anyone.
Samantha Klich
Android user
Wow, I am really amazed. I just tried the app because I've seen it advertised many times and was absolutely stunned. This app is THE HELP you want for school and above all, it offers so many things, such as workouts and fact sheets, which have been VERY helpful to me personally.
Anna
iOS user
Best app on earth! no words because it’s too good
Thomas R
iOS user
Just amazing. Let's me revise 10x better, this app is a quick 10/10. I highly recommend it to anyone. I can watch and search for notes. I can save them in the subject folder. I can revise it any time when I come back. If you haven't tried this app, you're really missing out.
Basil
Android user
This app has made me feel so much more confident in my exam prep, not only through boosting my own self confidence through the features that allow you to connect with others and feel less alone, but also through the way the app itself is centred around making you feel better. It is easy to navigate, fun to use, and helpful to anyone struggling in absolutely any way.
David K
iOS user
The app's just great! All I have to do is enter the topic in the search bar and I get the response real fast. I don't have to watch 10 YouTube videos to understand something, so I'm saving my time. Highly recommended!
Sudenaz Ocak
Android user
In school I was really bad at maths but thanks to the app, I am doing better now. I am so grateful that you made the app.
Greenlight Bonnie
Android user
very reliable app to help and grow your ideas of Maths, English and other related topics in your works. please use this app if your struggling in areas, this app is key for that. wish I'd of done a review before. and it's also free so don't worry about that.
Rohan U
Android user
I know a lot of apps use fake accounts to boost their reviews but this app deserves it all. Originally I was getting 4 in my English exams and this time I got a grade 7. I didn’t even know about this app three days until the exam and it has helped A LOT. Please actually trust me and use it as I’m sure you too will see developments.
Xander S
iOS user
THE QUIZES AND FLASHCARDS ARE SO USEFUL AND I LOVE THE SCHOOLGPT. IT ALSO IS LITREALLY LIKE CHATGPT BUT SMARTER!! HELPED ME WITH MY MASCARA PROBLEMS TOO!! AS WELL AS MY REAL SUBJECTS ! DUHHH 😍😁😲🤑💗✨🎀😮
Elisha
iOS user
This apps acc the goat. I find revision so boring but this app makes it so easy to organize it all and then you can ask the freeeee ai to test yourself so good and you can easily upload your own stuff. highly recommend as someone taking mocks now
Paul T
iOS user