Unit 9 APES

Carbonic Acid

A very weak acid formed in solution when carbon dioxide dissolves in water.

Ozone

A form of oxygen that has three oxygen atoms in each molecule instead of the usual two.

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)

Chemical compounds used in aerosols, insulating materials, refrigerator and air-conditioner coolants, and other products. Widely banned today due to their damaging effect on the ozone layer.

Greenhouse Effect

The trapping of the sun's warmth in a planet's lower atmosphere due to the greater transparency of the atmosphere to visible radiation from the sun than to infrared radiation emitted from the planet's surface.

Global Warming Potential

The relative ability of one molecule of a given greenhouse gas to contribute to warming.

Positive Feedback Loop

Causes a system to change further in the same direction.

Coral Bleaching

A phenomenon in which algae inside corals die, causing the corals to turn white.

Ocean Acidification

Decreasing pH of ocean waters due to absorption of excess atmospheric CO2 from the burning of fossil fuels.

Invasive Species

A species, often introduced by humans, that takes hold outside its native range.

Generalist

A species with a broad niche that can tolerate a wide range of conditions and can use a variety of resources.

Specialist

A consumer that primarily eats one specific organism or feeds on a very small number of organisms.

r-Selected Species

Species that reproduce early in their life span and produce large numbers of usually small and short-lived offspring in a short period.

K-Selected Species

Species that produce a few, often fairly large offspring but invest a great deal of time and energy to ensure that most of those offspring reach reproductive age.

Endangered Species

Species that is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range.

Endangered Species Act

1973 U.S. legislation designed to protect species from extinction

Habitat Fragmentation

Breakup of a habitat into smaller pieces, usually as a result of human activities.

global change

change that occurs in the chemical, biological, and physical properties of the planet

greenhouse gases

Gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, water vapor, and ozone in the atmosphere which are involved in the greenhouse effect.

Ozone layer hole

A severe depletion of ozone in a region of the ozone layer, particularly over Antarctica and over the Arctic. The depletion is caused by the destruction of ozone by CFCs and other compounds.

UV-A radiation

Also known as aging rays; longer wavelengths ranging between 320 to 400 nanometers that penetrate deeper into the skin than UVB; cause genetic damage and cell death. UVA contributes up to 95 percent of the sun's ultraviolet radiation.

UV-B

Middle wavelength - SOME is blocked by Ozone. Causes sunburns, damages DNA, necessary for Vitamin D synthesis

UV-C

Shortest, most damaging wavelengths, but completely absorbed by the ozone layer.

Stratospheric Ozone

good ozone that keeps out ultraviolet radiation

tropospheric ozone

ground level ozone; is considered bad because it is closer to the earth making it more likely for someone to breathe it in. It is also more dangerous because it is made up of particulate matter.

polar vortex

arctic air masses that in the winter become isolated from the rest of the atmosphere and circulate about the pole; the vortex rotates counterclockwise because of the rotation of the Earth in the Southern Hemisphere

Montreal Protocol (1987)

An agreement on protection of the ozone layer in which states pledged to reduce and then eliminate use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). It is the most successful environmental treaty to date.

carbon sequestration

A method of storing carbon emissions to prevent their release into the atmosphere

Kyoto Protocol

(2005) controlling global warming by setting greenhouse gas emissions targets for developed countries

Cataracts

clouding of the lens of the eye

Melanoma

The most serious form of skin cancer

Bioaccumulation

The build UP of a substance, such as a toxic chemical, in various tissues of a living organism.

Biomagnification

Accumulation of pollutants at successive levels of the food chain

biodiversity hotspots

Relatively small areas of land that contain an exceptional number of endemic species and are at high risk from human activities

endangered species

A species whose numbers are so small that the species is at risk of extinction

HIPPCO

Habitat destruction, Invasive Species, Population growth, Pollution, Climate Change, Overexploitations

*habitat destruction is #1 threat to animals

mass extinction

A large extinction of species in a relatively short period of time

habitat fragmentation

Breakup of a habitat into smaller pieces, usually as a result of human activities. Ex: Roads, fences, farms