Vocabulary
Climate Factors
Climate Change
Effects of a Changing Climate
Greenhouse Gases (GHGs)
100
A measure of how high something is above the Earth's surface
What is altitude?
100
The long-term weather pattern in an area
What is climate?
100
The preserved remains or evidence of an ancient organism that lived millions of years ago
What is a fossil?
100
Elevation of Palmer Trinity School above sea level
What is 3 m (9.8ft)?
100
Earth's most important greenhouse gas; human sources include burning fossil fuels for energy and transportation
What is carbon dioxide (CO2)?
200
Measure of how much sunlight a surface reflects
What is albedo?
200
Based on latitude, Earth’s surface is divided into _____ types of temperature zones.
What is three?
200
A long period of significantly colder global temperatures
What is an ice age?
200
Energy resources that are naturally replenished and do not deplete like fossil fuels
What are alternative (or renewable) energy sources?
200
Greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, naturally occurring through evaporation and precipitation
What is water vapor (H2O)?
300
A natural process where the Earth's atmosphere traps heat from the sun, warming the planet.
What is the greenhouse effect?
300
A strong ocean current that brings warm water from the Gulf of Mexico into the Atlantic Ocean
What is the Gulf Stream?
300
The long-term rise in the Earth's average surface temperature
What is global warming?
300
A landmark international accord aimed at limiting global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius
What is the Paris Agreement?
300
GHG emitted from livestock, rice cultivation, and landfills
What is methane (CH4)?
400
Cylindrical samples of ice extracted from glaciers and ice sheets that provide scientists with a record of Earth's climate history
What are ice cores?
400
The independent variable in a climograph
What is month?
400
Unit of measurement used to express the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
What is parts per million (ppm)?
400
Surfaces with _____ _____, like snow and ice, reflect a large portion of incoming solar radiation, keeping the planet cooler
What is high albedo?
400
Synthetic gases used in refrigeration systems
What are chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)?
500
Phenomenon where mountain ranges cause a dry area on their downwind side.
What is the rain shadow effect?
500
The three prevailing winds on Earth
What are the Polar Easterlies, Westerlies, and Tropical Easterlies?
500
The total amount of greenhouse gas emissions released by an individual, organization, product, or activity
What is a carbon footprint?
500
The process where corals lose the symbiotic algae that live within their tissues, causing them to appear white
What is coral bleaching?
500
Can be a greenhouse gas when it forms in the lower atmosphere due to reactions between pollutants and sunlight
What is ozone (O3)?