Unit 4: Climate Change

Weather

A description of the atmospheric conditions (temp, wind, precipitation) in a particular location over a short period of time

Climate

The average weather in a region over a long period of time

Ecoregions

New climate zones that are based on landforms, soil, plants, animals, and human factors (urban centres)

Bioclimate profiles

A series of graphs that show temperature and moisture conditions at a given location (only describe climate)

Latitude

Distance from the equator

Altitude

the height above sea level

Reflected

30% of the sun’s energy does this using the particles in the atmosphere, clouds, and earth’s surface

Absorbed

70% of the energy from the sun does this

Balance of energy

Energy absorbed by earth and atmosphere = energy radiated back

Equator

Where the sun shines directly, so the energy is intense and makes it warm

North and south pole

Where the sun’s energy is spread over a large area so it feels weaker (colder)

Atmosphere

The part of the climate system that is composed of layers of gases surrounding the Earth (reflects, absorbs/radiate, and transmit energy)

CFCs

Human-made compounds that depletes ozone in the stratosphere, one of these can destroy thousands of ozone molecules

Hydrosphere

The part of the climate system that includes all water on and around Earth

Lithosphere

The part of the climate system made up of the solid rock, soil, and minerals of Earth’s crust

Windward side

The side of a mountain that gets a lot of rain

Leeward side

The side of a mountain that gets little rainfall

Greenhouse effect

A natural process where gases and clouds absorb infrared radiation from the sun and radiate it to heat the Earth

Infrared radiation

The lower-energy radiation the Earth’s surface emits when it is warm

Greenhouse gas

Any gas in the atmosphere (CO2, methane..) that absorbs infrared radiation

Positive feedback loop

The process in which the result of something enhances the original cause

Negative feedback loop

The process in which the result of something decreases the original cause

Convection current

A circular current in air and other fluids caused when warm fluid rises as the cold fluid sinks

Prevailing winds

The cause of air flowing from areas of high pressure to areas to low pressure. They move warm air from the equator toward the poles. (only moves in one direction)

Thermohaline circulation

The continuous flow of water around the world’s oceans driven by differences in water temps and salinity

Interglacial period

A time between ice ages when Earth warms up

Plate tectonics

The theory explaining the slow movement of the large plates of Earth’s crust

Continental drift

The theory that Earth’s continents used to be one supercontinent name Pangaea

Eccentricity

The shape of Earth’s orbit around the sun. Earth’s orbit is currently more elliptical (flattened circle)

Tilt

Earth moves back and forth on its axis from 22.1 to 24.5 degrees. The seasonal differences increases as the angle increases (earth is at 23.5/decreasing rn)

Precession of tilt

Earth spins on its axis, angle of tilt stays the same but the direction changes (like a top spinning/wobbling)

Albedo

A measure pf how much of the sun’s radiation is reflected by a surface

Albedo effect

The positive feedback loop in which an increase in Earth’s temps causes ice to melt, causing more absorption of light, which leads to higher temps

Proxy records

Things that store natural information that can be measured to give clues to what the climate was like in the past. Ex. tree rings, ice cores, fossils

Anthropogenic greenhouse gases

Human produced greenhouse gases. Can come from burning fossil fuels for heating (produces CO2) or deforestation (produces CO2 and Methane)

Anthropogenic greenhouse effect

Increase of trapped infrared light due to an increase of greenhouse gases because of human activities (increases temp)

Conveyor belt

The moving of water (and the thermal energy it carries) from the equator to the poles and back again

Methane

A greenhouse gas that naturally comes from plant decomposition in swamps and animal digestion (23 times more powerful than CO2)

Nitrous oxide

A greenhouse gas that is 300 tomes more effective than CO2 in absorbing infrared radiation. It naturally comes from the reactions of bacteria in soil and water.