Climate System
This layer of gases surrounding the Earth plays a crucial role in regulating temperature and weather patterns.
What is the atmosphere?
The increase in the concentration of these heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere is the primary cause of recent warming.
What are greenhouse gases?
A long period with little or no rainfall can be intensified by climate change, leading to water shortages.
What is a drought?
The long neck of this African mammal allows it to reach high leaves in trees, an example of a structural adaptation for obtaining food.
What is a giraffe?
A close and long-term interaction between two different biological species.
What is symbiosis?
DAILY DOUBLE: The continuous movement of water on, above, and below the surface of the Earth is a key part of the climate system.
What is the water cycle (or hydrologic cycle)?
This human activity, particularly in power plants and factories, is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions.
What is burning fossil fuels?
As global temperatures rise, frozen areas like the Arctic and mountain glaciers are experiencing a significant decrease in this.
What is ice (or ice cover)?
Many desert animals avoid the intense daytime heat by being active primarily at night; this is a behavioral adaptation known as being what?
What is nocturnal?
This type of symbiotic relationship benefits one organism while neither harming nor helping the other.
What is commensalism?
These large bodies of saltwater cover most of the Earth's surface and significantly influence global climate through heat absorption and currents.
What are the oceans?
The clearing of forests for other land uses reduces the Earth's ability to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
What is deforestation?
The melting of glaciers and ice sheets contributes significantly to this.
What is sea level rise?
Cacti in the desert have thick, waxy stems to prevent water loss and sharp spines to deter herbivores; these are examples of what type of adaptations?
What are structural adaptations?
The relationship between bees and flowers, where the bee gets nectar and the flower gets pollinated, is an example of this type of symbiosis.
What is mutualism?
These predictable patterns of air movement around the globe, driven by differences in temperature and Earth's rotation, play a significant role in distributing heat.
What are global wind patterns (or atmospheric circulation)?
The raising of livestock, particularly cattle, releases this potent greenhouse gas into the atmosphere.
What is methane?
Warmer ocean temperatures can lead to the bleaching of these colorful underwater ecosystems.
What are coral reefs?
Some birds fly south during the winter months when food becomes scarce; this seasonal movement is a behavioral adaptation called what?
What is migration?
A symbiotic relationship where one organism benefits at the expense of the other, like a tick on a dog.
What is parasitism?
The balance between incoming solar radiation and outgoing radiation from Earth determines the planet's overall temperature; this balance is known by what term?
What is Earth's energy budget (or radiative balance)?
The production and use of these human-made substances, once widely used in refrigerants and aerosols, significantly depleted the ozone layer and are also potent greenhouse gases.
What are chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and other halocarbons?
This shift in the locations of plants and animals are an ecological consequence of altered climate conditions.
What are changes in species distribution (or range shifts)?
The bright colors and patterns of poison dart frogs warn predators of their toxicity; this is a protective adaptation known as what?
What is warning coloration (or aposematism)?
The relationship between the bacteria in our gut that help us digest food and receive a place to live is an example of this type of symbiosis.
What is mutualism?