The Greenhouse Effect
The process by which greenhouse gases trap heat in Earth's atmosphere.
What is the greenhouse effect?
The primary human activity that increases carbon dioxide emissions.
What is burning fossil fuels?
A prolonged period of abnormally high temperatures.
What is a heatwave?
The two main causes of rising sea levels.
What are melting ice sheets and thermal expansion?
Energy from natural sources like wind, solar, hydro, and geothermal.
What is renewable energy?
What type of radiation is trapped by greenhouse gases, contributing to global warming?
What is infrared radiation?
The process that reduces CO₂ absorption and increases emissions by removing trees.
What is deforestation?
The reason hurricanes are becoming stronger due to climate change.
What is warmer ocean temperatures?
The process where ocean pH lowers due to CO₂ absorption.
What is ocean acidification?
The international agreement aiming to limit global warming to below 2°C, ideally 1.5°C.
What is the Paris Agreement?
The most abundant greenhouse gas that acts as a feedback loop.
What is water vapor (H₂O)?
Two major greenhouse gases other than CO₂.
What are methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O)?
The expansion of desert-like conditions due to warming and land degradation.
What is desertification?
The phenomenon where corals expel algae due to stress from warming and acidification.
What is coral bleaching?
A technology that removes CO₂ and stores it underground.
What is carbon capture and storage (CCS)?
The effect where surfaces with low reflection absorb more heat, increasing warming.
What is the albedo effect?
The term for the total greenhouse gases emitted by an individual, organization, or country.
What is a carbon footprint?
A climate pattern that disrupts temperature and precipitation patterns worldwide.
What is El Niño?
The shrinking of glaciers due to rising temperatures.
What is glacial retreat?
The process of planting trees to absorb CO₂.
What is afforestation?
A threshold where climate change accelerates uncontrollably, such as ice sheet collapse or methane release from permafrost.
What is a tipping point?
The term for human-caused changes in the climate system.
What is anthropogenic climate change?
A cold air system that weakens and shifts due to warming, causing extreme cold spells.
What is the polar vortex?
The process where ocean water moves into freshwater sources, affecting drinking water and agriculture.
What is saltwater intrusion?
A fee placed on carbon emissions to encourage reductions.
What is a carbon tax?