vocabulary
The increase in the level of the world's oceans due to melting ice and the expansion of seawater as it warms.
Sea Level Rise
Ecosystem Impact
The effect of environmental changes, like ice melt and sea level rise, on living organisms and their habitats.
Positive Feedback Loop
A process in which an initial change leads to further changes that amplify the original effect, such as increased melting leading to more heat absorption.
Meltwater
Water released from melting ice or snow, which can flow into the ocean and contribute to sea level rise.
Antarctica’s Land Ice
Ice found on the continent of Antarctica, which holds a vast amount of the Earth’s freshwater and poses a major risk to sea levels if it melts.
Permafrost
Ground that remains completely frozen for at least two consecutive years, which can release greenhouse gases when it thaws.
Carbon Dioxide
A greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming and climate change, especially when released from melting permafrost.
Adaptation
Adjustments in natural or human systems in response to actual or expected climatic stimuli, aimed at minimizing harm or exploiting beneficial opportunities.
Microbeads
Small spherical particles that can be used to reflect light; in this context, they are considered for use on Arctic ice to reduce melting.
Thermal Expansion
The increase in volume of seawater as it warms, contributing to sea level rise.
Rights Holders
Individuals or groups who have legal rights or claims over certain resources or territories, often concerned about the impacts of geoengineering.
Hydrosphere
All of Earth's water, including oceans, lakes, rivers, and glaciers, playing a crucial role in climate and weather patterns.
A mass of glacial land ice extending over 50,000 square kilometers, such as those found in Greenland and Antarctica.
Ice Sheet
Climate Change
Long-term alterations in temperature, precipitation, wind patterns, and other elements of the Earth's climate system, primarily driven by human activity.
Energy Absorption
The process by which materials take in energy, such as light, which can subsequently affect temperature and melting rates.
Mitigation
Efforts to reduce or prevent the emission of greenhouse gases, thus lessening the impact of climate change.
The deliberate manipulation of the Earth’s climate system to counteract climate change, including methods to slow ice melt.
Geoengineering
Surfaces that reflect light rather than absorbing it, such as fresh snow or ice, which help to keep temperatures lower.
Reflective Materials
Greenland’s Land Ice
Ice that accumulates on land in Greenland, which, if melted, contributes significantly to sea level rise.
Tipping Point
A critical threshold at which a tiny perturbation can qualitatively change the state or development of a system, such as the point at which ice melt accelerates.
Vulnerability
The susceptibility of a system to harm due to exposure to stresses associated with environmental changes, such as rising sea levels.
A process that counteracts an initial change, helping to stabilize the system, like increased cloud cover reflecting sunlight back into space.
Negative Feedback Loop