APES Unit 9 Global Change
Coral bleaching
A phenomenon in which algae inside corals die, causing the corals to turn white.
Acid
A substance that increases the hydrogen ion concentration of a solution, decreases pH
thermal expansion
An increase in the size of a substance when the temperature is increased
Calcium carbonate
CaCO3, makes up shells of marine animals
Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)
Chemicals containing hydrogen, fluorine, and carbons, produced as potential substitutes for CFCs
CFCs
Chlorinated Fluorocarbons are chemicals that break down the ozone layer
Fossil fuels
Coal, oil, natural gas, and other fuels that are ancient remains of plants and animals.
Glacial periods
Cooler periods during an ice age when the ice advances to cover more of the earths surface
Climate change impacts
Crops failing; mountain glaciers disappearing, threatening water sources in some areas; sea level rising; extensive damage to coral reefs leads to extinction of species; rising intensity of storms and natural disasters
UV radiation
Energy from the sun that damages DNA structure, increases mutation rate, and causes skin cancer.
Permafrost
Ground that is permanently frozen
Anthropogenic
Human-induced changes on the natural environment
Greenhouse effect
Natural situation in which heat is retained in Earth's atmosphere by carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, and other gases
Deforestation
The removal of trees faster than forests can replace themselves.
Climate change
a change in global or regional climate patterns, in particular a change apparent from the mid to late 20th century onwards and attributed largely to the increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide produced by the use of fossil fuels.
Ocean conveyor belt
a constantly moving system of deep-ocean circulation driven by temperature and salinity
Jet stream
a high-speed high-altitude airstream blowing from west to east near the top of the troposphere. Weakens due to climate change causing polar vortex conditions
Cap and Trade
a method for managing pollution in which a limit is placed on emissions and businesses or countries can buy and sell emissions allowances
Greenhouse Gases (GHGs)
carbon dioxide, water vapour, methane, and CFCs and HCFCs gases in the atmosphere which trap/reflect low energy heat
Kyoto Protocol
controlling global warming by setting greenhouse gas emissions targets for developed countries
Ocean acidification
decreasing pH of ocean waters due to absorption of excess atmospheric CO2 from the burning of fossil fuels
glaciers and ice caps
large masses of ice found on land, not in the sea
Montreal Protocol
meeting in 1987 where a group of nations met in Canada and agreed to take steps to fight against Ozone Depletion-CFC's banned
Ice cores
method for studying climate change by drilling cores in ice caps and glaciers that have build up over thousands of years
sea level rise
one result of global climate change, due to melting glaciers and ice caps
pH scale
scale with values from 0 to 14, used to measure the concentration of H+ ions in a solution; a pH of 0 to 7 is acidic, a pH of 7 is neutral, and a pH of 7 to 14 is basic
Global warming potential (GWP)
the greenhouse effect of different gases - the relative amount of heat a GHG will trapover a number of years in comparison to carbon dioxide for example: carbon dioxide = 1 methane = 21 nitrous oxide = 206 water = very high, but difficult to calculate due to the constant changes in amount of water vapour
Ozone depletion
thinning of Earth's ozone layer caused by CFC's leaking into the air and reacting chemically with the ozone, breaking the ozone molocules apart
tree rings
tree growth is influenced by climate conditions, patterns in tree rings and isotopic composition of materin within each ring reflect variations in past climate