Unit 12 Impacts Of Climate Change

1-5

100

This is a change that can be seen within a smaller scope of time, typically within a 30-year period. 

Climate Fluctuation

200

This is the FIRST component on the Arctic Food Web.

Sunlight

300

Is a minor component of the atmosphere, but remains the most important long-lived greenhouse gas. It is created through natural processes (respiration) and human activities (burning of fossil fuels).

Carbon Dioxide

400

This data can stand in for direct measurements because it contains physical characteristics of the climate during certain time periods.

Proxy Data

500

This hydrocarbon gas is produced by natural processes (decomposition) and human activities.

Methane

6-10

100

This is by far the largest source of human-produced carbon dioxide in the atmosphere with a whopping 76% of all human activity sources. 

Electricity Production

200

Is the study of observed weather conditions over an extended period of time. It includes aspects of oceanography, biology, economics, and even sociology as climatologist look at how climate impacts society.

Climatology

300

This is an organization of scientists and government representatives from around the world tasked with surveying and understanding the Earth’s current climate and recent climate changes. 

The International Panel for Climate Change or IPCC.

400

Tree rings are this type of proxy data used to study past climates.

Biological Data

500

As we lose sea ice this attribute of the ice lowers, thus allowing more radiation to remain in the atmosphere and contribute to a warming Earth. 

Albedo

11-15

100

The Greenland Ice Sheet holds roughly this percentage of the world’s freshwater.

7%

200

As the temperature of the oceans rises, thermal expansion occurs leading to this specific climate change impact.

Sea Level Rise

300

This describes variations that remain for extended periods (more than 30 years). 

Climate Change

400

This is the year that carbon dioxide levels started to increase rapidly. 

1950

500

Is the study of reconstructing past climate data based on information that was not directly collected using instruments.

Paleoclimatology

16-20

100

Observations taken with instruments are known as this?

Direct Measurements

200

This greenhouse gas is produced by soil cultivation with fertilizers and the combustion of fossil fuels. 

Nitrous Oxide

300

Much of the excess global heat trapped by the atmosphere has been absorbed by this.

Oceans

400

Blue holes are this type of proxy data when studying past climates.

Geological Data

500

Carbon dioxide amounts increase and decrease across the seasons due to fluctuations in the amount of these things.

Plants

20-25 (only 20 on quiz/test tho)

100

This is the continuous record of CO₂ measurements on Mauna Loa (Hawaii) which shows both the seasonal rhythm and the overall rise of carbon dioxide over the past 5 decades.

The Keeling Curve

200

This is the most abundant greenhouse gas.

Water Vapor

300

Greenhouse gases move from west to east around the Earth due to this. 

Coriolis Effect

400

In addition to natural sources, this is the official name for human activities that contribute to atmospheric carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Anthropogenic Sources

500

This is what is happening to Earth's temperature, steadily, due to CO₂ amounts produced from burning fossil fuels.

Increasing/Warming/Getting Hotter 

Will accept variations of this!