British Sign Language Glossaries of Curriculum Terms

BSL Environmental Science Glossary - Natural Climate Drivers definition

Description: Natural Climate Drivers change the climate without human involvement; they are processes that occur naturally in our world. They affect the temperature, rainfall, wind and storm patterns. The resulting changes can be shorter, or longer term. An example of short-term impacts is NAO, where differences in atmospheric pressure determine air movements that drive westerly winds. During the positive phase this results in milder and wetter weather in northern Europe, while the negative phase brings colder and drier conditions. Another example of a shorter-term impact is ENSO (El Niño Southern Oscillation), which is a natural process that impacts the sea surface temperatures of the Pacific Ocean. This affects the weather across the globe and can result in drought, floods and fluctuations in temperature. Volcano eruptions that release gas and ash into the atmosphere and block sunlight can also impact the weather globally over the short term.