How Ice Provides a Reflective Shield on Earth
In How Ice Provides a Reflective Shield on Earth, geologist Iain Stewart explains that ice is a unique substance. Because it floats and is reflective, it provides a reflective shield for the Earth and impacts how much energy is absorbed, which impacts the climate. The changing amounts of ice on the planet also impact how modern man has adapted. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Earth: The Power of the Planet, a documentary series in which Dr. Iain Stewart discovers how Earth's forces can shape nature, species, and even the climate.
Lesson Express
Q: What is unique about ice as a substance?
A: When it freezes, it expands and becomes less dense than water, so it floats.
Q: How do the qualities of ice impact the Earth?
A: Ice floats and reflects lights, so it creates two large reflectors at each pole. This impacts the climate across the planet by impacting how much energy is absorbed by the Earth.
Q: What happened in the two evolutionary leaps?
A: In the first, man’s brain grew larger; in the second, man developed tools.
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