APES Unit 9 Global Climate Change

ozone

protective layer in the stratosphere; blocks out UV-C and parts of UV-B rays "good up high, bad down low"

global warming

an increase in Earth's average surface temperature

greenhouse gas

a substance such as carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, ozone, and nitrous oxide that absorbs infrared radiation released by Earth's surface and then warms the surface and troposphere by emitting energy

greenhouse effect

the warming of Earth's surface and atmosphere caused by the energy emitted by greenhouse gases

thermohaline circulation

a worldwide system of ocean currents in which warmer, fresher water moves along the surface and colder, saltier, and denser water moves deep beneath the surface

methane

potent/strong greenhouse gas that comes primarily from landfills and agriculture

Montreal Protocol

international agreement drafted in 1987 that called for nations to reduce use of CFCs to stop ozone depletion

albedo

the capacity of a surface to reflect light

permafrost

underground soil that remains more or less permanently frozen

Kyoto Protocol

an international agreement drafted in 1997 that calls for nations to reduce, by 2012, emissions of six greenhouse gases to levels lower than their levels in 1990

CFCs

a purely anthropogenic greenhouse gas that also is the main cause behind ozone depletion; comes from refrigerants

CO2

the most abundant greenhouse gas that can stay in the atmosphere for hundreds of years

water vapor

a greenhouse gas that mostly comes from non-anthropogenic sources; not a big concern since it only stays in the atmosphere for about 9 days

ocean acidification

A process in which an increase in ocean CO2 causes more CO2 to be converted to carbonic acid which lowers the pH of the water

coral bleaching

the loss of color in corals that occurs when stressed corals expel the algae that live in them due to increased sea surface temperatures, pollution, diseases, and sedimentation

endangered species

species that are likely to go extinct in the near future; often these species are specialist species like Giant Panda

Paris Climate Agreement

A pledge by 196 countries to keep global warming less than 2 degrees celsius above pre-industrial levels.

invasive species

species that enter new ecosystems and multiply quickly (due to their lack of natural predator and quick reproductive cycles), harming native species and their habitats

HIPPCO

causes of biodiversity loss; habitat loss, invasive species, pollution, population, climate change, overfishing

CITES

A 1973 treaty formed to control the international trade of threatened plants and animals

Marine Mammal Protection Act

1972 law that prohibits the killing of all marine mammals in the US and prohibits the import or export of any marine mammal body parts