Environmental Science: Earth's Climate and Global Warming

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers the major factors affecting Earth's climate, the roles of the IPCC, and strategies for managing climate change based on environmental science principles.

Anthropogenic factors

Factors affecting Earth's energy balance caused by human activities, such as changes in atmospheric gas composition.

Albedo effect

The interaction between solar energy and the Earth where incoming radiation is reflected by atmospheric gases and other matter.

Short-term carbon sequestration

Carbon storage in land and water that results in changes in the carbon cycle lasting less than $100$ years.

Long-term carbon sequestration

Carbon storage in land and water that results in changes in the carbon cycle lasting more than $1000$ years.

Natural greenhouse effect

The natural process where certain atmospheric gases absorb, re-emit, and reflect solar energy, maintaining Earth's temperature.

Enhanced greenhouse effect

The increase in Earth's temperature due to altered greenhouse gas concentrations from human activities like fossil fuel combustion and cement production.

Greenhouse gas warming potential

A measure of the infrared radiation a specific gas will tend to absorb over its lifetime in the atmosphere.

Ice core sampling

A method used for measuring past changes in the atmosphere by analyzing air bubbles trapped in deep ice layers.

Palaeoclimate records

Historical data used to measure past changes in the climate before direct human measurements were available.

IPCC confidence ratings

The levels of certainty expressed in climate projections, categorized as very high, high, medium, low, or very low.

Phenological changes

Changes in the timing of biological events, such as plant-pollinator interactions, animal breeding cycles, and plant growing seasons.

Mitigation

Options and strategies aimed at reducing net greenhouse emissions to slow the process of climate change.

Adaptation

Options and actions taken to build resilience to the effects of unavoidable climate change at specific regions or locations.

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

The United Nations body established in $1988$ by the WMO and UNEP that assesses climate change science and provides reports to governments.

World Meteorological Organization (WMO)

One of the two organizations that established the IPCC in $1988$, alongside the UNEP.

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

One of the two organizations that established the IPCC in $1988$, alongside the WMO.

2019-20 Black Summer

A major period of intense bushfires in Australia that heightened attention to climate science and extreme weather risk assessments.

Paris Agreement

An international climate agreement where commitments are informed by IPCC findings regarding the necessity of limiting global warming.