Geography AQA Greenhouse gasses

constructive

tectonic plate margin where rising magma adds new material to plates that are diverging or moving apart.

oceanic crust

thinner part of the earth's crust

Quaternary period

a period in geological time (2.5 million years ago

global warming

the general increase in global temperature

ice cores

samples of ice, often many metres thick. gained by drilling through the ice cover in cold environments

sunspot

dark spots on the surface of the sun that sometimes discharge big bursts of heat given out by the sun

greenhouse effect

the gases in the atmosphere which trap outgoing radiation + keep the Earth at a temperature at which humans can live

enhanced greenhouse

the increase in the effect of global warming due to human activities

fossil fuels

energy from the plant and animal remains, such as coal, oil + natural gas, including shale gas

milankovitch theory

warmer temp. as we get closer to Earth + cooler periods as we head further away