BIOL 2200 Lecture 35: Staying Alive - The Challenge of Global Climate Change

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts from a lecture on global climate change, its causes, and its impacts on the environment and biological processes.

Climate Change

A long-term change in the average weather patterns that have come to define Earth’s local, regional and global climates.

Greenhouse Gases

Gases that trap heat leaving the earth’s surface, regulating global temperatures. Examples include CO2, methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gases.

Anthropogenic Factors

Factors resulting from or influenced by human beings

Ocean Acidification

The decreasing of ocean pH due to more CO2 in the ocean.

Range Shifts

The shifting of species habitats due to changing climate conditions, such as species shifting north in North America.

Climate Change Impacts on Biological Timing

Changes in temperature can alter when key biological processes occur (e.g., when flowers bloom, when animals hibernate or migrate, when species reproduce).

Climate-related hazards

Extreme weather events, heat, sea level rise