Climate Change
Weather Patterns
Climate Change 2
Definitions
Weather
100
A gradual increase in average global surface temperature.
What is global warming?
100
A long period of climate cooling during which ice sheets spread beyond the polar regions.
What is an ice age?
100
Carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and water vapor are all examples of this type of gas.
What are greenhouse gases?
100
The combination of an area's surface features.
What is topography?
100
Rain, snow, and hail are all examples of this.
What is precipitation?
200
The warming of the Earth's surface and lower atmosphere that occurs when greenhouse gases absorb and reradiate energy.
What is the greenhouse effect?
200
During these type of years, ocean temperatures ar higher than usual in the tropical Pacific Ocean.
What is El Nino?
200
More powerful storms, rising global sea level, and changing ecosystems are all effects of climate change linked to this.
What is global warming?
200
The height of an area above sea level.
What is elevation?
200
This forms when a warm air mass follows a retreating cold air mass and the warm air rises over the cold air.
What is a warm front?
300
These are tiny, solid particles that are suspended in air or water.
What are particulates?
300
During these years, ocean temperatures are cooler than normal in the equatorial eastern Pacific Ocean.
What is La Nina?
300
Solar output and ocean temperatures can cause these in yearly global temperatures.
What are fluctuations?
300
The weather conditions in an area over a long period of time.
What is climate?
300
This affects weather by increasing the water vapor in the air, which affects humidity.
What is evaporation?
400
Conserving energy, recycling, and reducing wastes have this effect on the rate of climate change.
What is reducing it?
400
Studies have shown a possible link between global rainfall and this phenomenon, a cycle which lasts approximately 11 years.
What is a sunspot cycle?
400
The burning of fossil fuels releases this greenhouse gas, which contributes to global warming.
What is carbon dioxide?
400
The condition of the Earth's atmosphere at a particular time and place.
What is weather?
400
This develops when there is not enough wind for either the cold air mass or the warm air mass to keep moving.
What is a stationary front?
500
Having many years of data on average global temperatures makes these easier to identify.
What are long-term trends?
500
These occur over widely spaced intervals of time, roughly every 200 million years.
What are ice ages?
500
This is a possible outcome for plant populations that are unable to spread northward in the face of regional warming.
What is extinction?
500
A large volume of air in which temperature and moisture content are nearly the same throughout.
What is an air mass?
500
This type of system generally brings clear skies and calm air.
What is a high pressure system?
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