2. Climate And Change Flashcards
Climate Change
Long-term changes in temperature and precipitation
Deforestation
The chopping down and removal of trees to clear an area of forest
A community of plants and animals that interact with each other and their physical environment.
An Ecosystem
Enhanced Greenhouse Effect
The increased greenhouse effect resulting from human action (emission of greenhouse gases) and leading to global warming.
Global Warming
A trend whereby global temperatures rise over time, linked in modern times with the human production of greenhouse gases.
Greenhouse gases
The gases in the atmosphere which absorb outgoing radiation, hence increasing the temperature of the atmosphere.
Ice Age
A period in the earth’s past when the polar ice caps were much larger than today.
Little Ice Age
A period of slight global cooling that lasted from the mid 15th Century to the mid 19th Century
Megafauna
‘Large animals’ typically weighing >40kg e.g. wooly mammoth
Process and forces that are not controlled by humans
Natural causes
Orbital changes
Changes in the pathway of Earth around the sun as well as the tilt and wobble on its axis
Quaternary Period
The most recent geological period of Earth’s history
The energy emitted from the sun
Solar Output
The layer of air 10-50km about the Earth’s surface
Stratosphere
Food chains
Plants and animals that are linked together and depend on each other for food
