Climate Change Flashcards
What is the atmosphere
The air that surrounds us
What is the definition of the greenhouse effect
The greenhouse effect is when the Earth’s atmosphere becomes thick with gases and substances which trap the sun’s radiation, making the Earth warmer. An example of the greenhouse effect is global warming.
What is the definition of greenhouse gases
a gas that contributes to the greenhouse effect by absorbing infrared radiation. Carbon dioxide is one example
What is the definition of global warming
a gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth’s atmosphere generally attributed to the greenhouse effect caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide
What is the definition of photosynthesis
This is when a plant takes in sunlight and carbon dioxide to make food/energy
The equation is carbon dioxide and water in the presence of chlorophyll and sunlight make glucose and oxygen
What is the definition of respiration
This is when our bodies perform a reaction to get rid of carbon and other waste or harmful products.
What is the definition of combustion
Combustion is the scientific term for burning
What is the definition of carbon sink
A carbon sink is an environment where it absorbs more carbon dioxide than it produces
What is the definition of a fossil fuel
Fossil fuel is a general term for buried combustible geologic deposits of organic materials, formed from decayed plants and animals that have been converted to crude oil, coal, natural gas, or heavy oils by exposure to heat and pressure in the earth’s crust over hundreds of millions of years.
What is the definition of the carbon cycle
the series of processes by which carbon compounds are interconverted in the environment,
What is the definition of climate change
Climate change is a change in the pattern of weather, and related changes in oceans, land surfaces and ice sheets, occurring over time scales of decades or longer.
