Ecology- global Climate change

Global warming potential

the amount that a molecule of a given greenhouse gas contributes to global warming over 100 years

Chloroflurocarbons (CFCs)

human-made chemical compunds containing chlorine, fluorine, and carbon

The keeling curve

a graph of the accumulation of carbon dioxide in the earths atmosphere based on continuous measurements taken at the mauna loa observatory. hawaii from 1958 to the present day

feedback mechanism

occurs when a change in one part of a system leads to changes in another part of the system which then feedback on the initial effect in a way that can amplify or diminish it

positive feedback mechanisms

changes that reinforce the initial change

negative feedback mechanism

produce results that are the opposite of the initial change and tend to offset it

coral reefs

built by colonies of corals, invertebrates that live in warm, shallow waters

permafrost

a phenomenon whereby layers of soil are permanently frozen

arctic sea ice

frozen ocean water that forms, grows, and melts in the arctic region

Ocean acidification

increasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere which leads to an increase in carbon dioxide in the oceans, decreasing pH

mass extinction

sudden loss of large numbers of organisms

global biodiversity

the measure of the variety of life forms on earth, including species diversity, genetic diversity, and ecosystem diversity

Overexploitation

harvesting species faster than populations can recover

Biotic homogenization

the process by which unique species compositions originally found in different regions slowly become more similar due to the movement of people, cargo and species