AP Environmental Science Falkin 2024-2025 Unit 9 Vocab

Global climate change

Changes in the average weather that occurs in an area over a period of years or decades.

Global warming

The warming of the oceans, land masses, and atmosphere of Earth.

Greenhouse warming potential

An estimate of how much a molecule of any compound can contribute to global warming over a period of 100 years relative to a molecule of CO2.

Kyoto Protocol

An international agreement that sets a goal for global emissions of greenhouse gases from all industrialized countries to be reduced by 5.2 percent below their 1990 levels by 2012.

Carbon sequestration

An approach to stabilizing greenhouse gases by removing CO2 from the atmosphere.

Albedo

The percentage of incoming sunlight that is reflected from a surface.

Stratosphere

The layer of the atmosphere above the troposphere, extending roughly 16 to 50 km (10-31 miles) above the surface of Earth.

Extinction

The death of the last member of a species.

Endangered

At serious risk of extinction.

Native species

Species that live in their historical range, typically where they have lived for thousands or millions of years.

Invasive species

A species that spreads rapidly across large areas.

Endangered Species Act

A 1973 U.S. act designed to protect species from extinction.

Edge habitat

A habitat that occurs where two different communities come together, typically forming an abrupt transition, such as where a grassy field meets a forest.

Red List

A list of worldwide threatened species.

Anthropogenic

Derived from human activities.

Sustainability

Living on Earth in a way that allows humans to use its resources without depriving future generations of those resources.

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)

A family of organic compounds whose properties make them ideal for use in refrigeration and air-conditioning.

Biosphere reserves

Protected area consisting of zones that vary in the amount of permissible human impact.

National wildlife refuge

A federal public land managed for the primary purpose of protecting wildlife.

Residence time

How long molecule stays in the atmosphere.

Montreal Protocol

A global agreement to phase CFCs out of production in refrigerators, aerosols and other uses.

Obliquity

The angle Earth's axis is tilted with respect to Earth's orbital plane.

Eccentricity

The shape of Earth's orbit.

Hadley Cell

A convection current in the atmosphere that cycles between the equator and 30° N and 30° S.

Thermohaline Circulation

An oceanic circulation pattern that drives the mixing of surface water and deep water.