G-I
An index based upon radiative properties of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere over a time period.
Global Warming Potential (GWP)
A change in the use or management of land by humans, which may lead to a change in land cover.
Land-use change
Climate during periods prior to the development of measuring instruments, including historic and geologic time.
Paleoclimate
Displacement of fresh surface water or groundwater by the advance of saltwater due to its greater density.
Saltwater intrusion
This type of scale may range from seasonal to geological (up to hundreds of millions of years).
temporal scales
When greenhouse gases absorb thermal infrared radiation emitted by the Earth’s surface, by the atmosphere and clouds.
Greenhouse effect
An index on a 5-step scale (high, medium, medium-low, low and very low) designed to characterize the degree of scientific understanding of the radiative forcing agents that affect climate change.
Level of Scientific Understanding (LOSU)
The change in the net irradiance at the tropopause due to a change in an external driver of climate change?
Radiative forcing
Global and local sea level can be altered due to changes in the shape of the ocean basins, in the total mass of water, and changes in water density.
Sea level change/sea level rise
Scenarios constructed to explore future developments in the global environment.
SRES scenarios
Gases that make up the atmosphere, both natural and anthropogenic, that absorb and emit radiation.
Greenhouse Gas (GHG)
The chance of an occurrence, an outcome, or a result.
Likelihood
Planting of forests on lands that have previously contained forests but have been converted to some other use.
Reforestation
The degree to which a system is affected, either adversely or beneficially by climate change.
Sensitivity
Refers to the increase in volume and decrease in density that results from warming water.
Thermal expansion
The release of carbon dioxide from decomposition of organic matter.
Heterotrophic respiration
A north-south overturning circulation in the oceans that transports warm upper-ocean waters northward, and cold deep waters southward.
Meridional Overturning Circulation (MOC)
Provides one of many possible scenarios that represent a series of emissions and concentrations of all of greenhouse gases
Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs)
Any process, activity or mechanism, which removes a greenhouse gas from the atmosphere, such as carbon sequestration in forests wood products.
Sink
An expression of the degree to which a value, for example, the future state of the climate system, is unknown.
Uncertainty
All IMPACTS that may occur given a projected change in climate, without considering adaptation.
Potential impacts
Implementing policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance sinks.
Mitigation
The ability of a social or ecological system to absorb disturbances while retaining the same basic structure and functioning and the capacity to adapt to stress and change.
Resilience
Any process, activity or mechanism that releases a greenhouse gas into the atmosphere, such as deforestation and forest fires.
Source
The addition of a substance of concern to a reservoir. The long-term uptake of carbon containing substances, in particular carbon dioxide.
Uptake
The IMPACTS of climate change that would occur after adaptation.
Residual impacts
A decrease in the pH of seawater due to the uptake of anthropogenic carbon dioxide.
Ocean acidification
The process of planning, prioritizing and selecting approaches to climate change adaptation.
Risk management
Climate may vary on a large range of spatial scales ranging from local (less than 100,000 km2), through regional to continental (10 to 100 million km2).
Spatial scales
The degree to which a system is susceptible to, or unable to cope with, adverse effects of climate changes, including variability and extremes.
Vulnerability