Global Climate Change – Chapter 9 Lecture

These vocabulary flashcards cover the principal terms, gases, processes, evidence, impacts, and policy responses discussed in the Chapter 9 lecture on global climate change. Reviewing them will reinforce key concepts needed for the upcoming exam.

Weather

Short-term, day-to-day atmospheric conditions such as temperature, precipitation, cloud cover, wind, and humidity.

Climate

Long-term (years to decades) average pattern of weather for a region, shaped chiefly by latitude, altitude, water bodies, and terrain.

Climate Change

Long-term trends or variations in Earth’s climate at local, regional, or global scales.

Global Warming

Recent rise in Earth’s average surface temperature, a key aspect of modern global climate change.

Ecosystem Services

Benefits that natural ecosystems provide to humans, which are threatened when climate alters ecosystem structure and function.

Greenhouse Gas (GHG)

Any atmospheric gas that absorbs and reradiates infrared radiation, contributing to the greenhouse effect.

Carbon Dioxide (CO₂)

Principal anthropogenic greenhouse gas released by fossil-fuel combustion and deforestation; baseline warming potential = 1.

Methane (CH₄)

Potent greenhouse gas from fossil-fuel deposits, livestock, landfills, and rice paddies; warming potential ≈ 21 times CO₂.

Nitrous Oxide (N₂O)

Greenhouse gas emitted by feedlots, fertilizers, autos, and industry; atmospheric lifetime ~114 years and warming potential ≈ 310.

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)

Synthetic halocarbon gases once used as refrigerants; strong greenhouse gases now declining under the Montreal Protocol.

Water Vapor

Most abundant greenhouse gas; its concentration is controlled by temperature and can increase cloudiness that may offset warming.

Greenhouse Effect

Natural process in which GHGs trap part of Earth’s outgoing infrared radiation, warming the troposphere and surface.

Anthropogenic

Originating from human activity; e.g., anthropogenic greenhouse-gas emissions.

Fossil Fuels

Coal, oil, and natural gas formed from ancient organic matter; burning them releases large amounts of CO₂.

Deforestation

Removal of forests, eliminating a major carbon sink and adding CO₂ through biomass burning or decay.

Carbon Cycle

Movement of carbon among atmosphere, oceans, landmass, and biosphere through short- and long-term processes.

Short-Term Carbon Cycle

Rapid exchange of carbon via photosynthesis, respiration, and ocean-atmosphere gas transfer.

Long-Term Carbon Cycle

Million-year processes such as weathering, sedimentation, and volcanism that store and release carbon.

Ocean Uptake

Dissolving of atmospheric CO₂ into seawater and carbon inflow from rivers; a major carbon sink.

Sedimentation

Slow burial of carbon-rich material that eventually forms limestone, coal, oil, or gas.

Photosynthesis

Biological process converting atmospheric CO₂ into energy-rich organic compounds using sunlight.

Respiration

Metabolic oxidation of organic compounds releasing energy and CO₂ to the atmosphere.

Mauna Loa CO₂ Record

Continuous measurements since 1958 showing atmospheric CO₂ rising 1–2 ppm per year with seasonal oscillations.

Industrial Revolution

Beginning ~1750–1800; marks the rapid rise in fossil-fuel use and subsequent CO₂ emissions.

Sea Level Rise

Increase in global ocean level caused by melting land ice and thermal expansion of warming seawater.

Coral Bleaching

Loss of symbiotic algae from coral due to elevated water temperatures, leading to reef decline.

Desertification

Degradation of fertile land into desert, often intensified by higher temperatures and altered rainfall patterns.

Climate Mitigation

Actions aimed at reducing greenhouse-gas emissions or enhancing sinks to slow future climate change.

Climate Adaptation

Strategies that lessen the social, economic, or ecological impacts of climate change already underway.

Renewable Energy

Energy obtained from sources that are replenished naturally, such as solar, wind, and hydropower.

Photovoltaic (PV)

Technology that converts sunlight directly into electricity with no moving parts or emissions.

Wind Farm

Cluster of wind turbines that generate electricity using kinetic energy of moving air.

Cap and Trade

Market-based policy that sets an emissions cap and allows trading of permits to incentivize reductions.

Kyoto Protocol

1997 international treaty aiming to cut GHG emissions below 1990 levels by 2008–2012; not ratified by the U.S.

Global Circulation Model (GCM)

Complex computer model that simulates Earth’s climate system to project future temperature scenarios.

Ice Core

Cylinder of ice drilled from glaciers or ice sheets containing trapped air bubbles that reveal past climate and CO₂.

Tree Ring Analysis

Method of reconstructing past climate by examining annual growth rings, which vary with temperature and moisture.

Sediment Core

Layered sample from lake or ocean floors used to infer historical climate conditions.

Little Ice Age

Period of cooler global temperatures roughly 1400–1900 CE, evident in ice-core and historical records.

Business-as-Usual Scenario

Climate projection assuming continued current trends of high fossil-fuel use and emissions.

Sustainable World Scenario

Model outlook assuming aggressive emissions cuts and adoption of sustainable practices, yielding lower warming.

Carbon Sink

Natural or artificial reservoir that absorbs more carbon than it releases, such as forests or oceans.

Thermal Expansion

Increase in ocean volume as water warms, contributing significantly to sea-level rise.

Halocarbon

Compound containing carbon and halogens (e.g., CFCs); many are potent greenhouse gases.

Atmospheric Aerosols

Tiny particles from volcanoes or pollution that scatter sunlight, producing a short-term cooling effect.

Solar Flare / Sunspot Cycle

Natural variation in solar output that can cause small changes in Earth’s climate but cannot explain recent warming.