Natural Hazards: Climate Change Key Terminology

Adaptation

Adaptation

actions taken to adjust to natural events such as climate change

Atmosphere

a highly complex mass of gases, liquids and solids that surrounds the Earth

Axial Tilt

the angle of Earth’s axis

Climate Change

a long-term change in the earth's climate

Eccentricity

The path of the Earth as it orbits the sun

Enhanced Greenhouse Effect

the increased effectiveness of the greenhouse effect, believed to be the cause of recent global warming

Fossil Fuel

a natural fuel such as coal or gas, formed in the geological past from the remains of living organisms

Global Warming

the increase of global temperatures

Greenhouse Effect

the blanketing effect of the atmosphere in retaining heat given off from the Earth’s surface

Greenhouse Gases

atmospheric gases such as carbon dioxide and methane that can absorb heat

Ice Cores

columns of ice that are extracted from ice sheets and used to reconstruct temperature patterns from the past

Milankovitch Cycles

three distinct cycles of Earth’s orbit around the Sun (Eccentricity, Precession, Axial tilt)

Mitigation

action taken to reduce the long-term risk from natural hazards

Renewable Energy

resources that cannot be exhausted, i.e. wind, solar and tidal energy

Sunspots

a dark patch that occasionally appears on the surface of the Sun