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