GHC 12: Climate Change Flashcards
Drought
A prolonged interval of dryness causing damage to plants and animals.
Aerosols
A suspension of find a solid or liquid particles in the air.
El Niño
A climate pattern that occurs every 2 to 7 years when the Tradewinds relax and warm ocean water in the equatorial Pacific ocean flows to the west coast of North America.
Extinction
The die-off or elimination of the species.
Global climate model (GCM)
A three- and four-dimensional computer model of Earth’s atmosphere that simulates global climate produced by varying temperature, rainfall, atmospheric pressure, winds, and ocean currents.
Global warming potential (GWP)
The ability of a greenhouse gas to trap heat in the atmosphere as compared to CO2.
Haboob
Strong duststorms powered by thunderstorm downburst in desert regions of the world.
Haze
Fine dust, smoke, water, and salt particles that reduce the clarity of the atmosphere.
La Nada
A climate pattern that occurs when seawater temperatures in the tropical eastern Pacific ocean are neither excessively warm or cool but neutral.
La Niña
A climate pattern that occurs when cooler than normal seawater exists in the tropical eastern Pacific Ocean.
Little Ice Age
A colder interval between about 1400 and 1900 CE marked by renewed glaciation in the Northern Hemisphere.
Maunder Minimum
A cooler interval that occurred between 1645 and 1715 CE when astronomers noted minimal sunspots on the Sun’s surface.
Medieval Maximum
A relatively warm interval in the Northern Hemisphere between about 1000 and 1300 CE.
Methane
A gaseous hydrocarbon (CH4).
Methane hydrate
An icelike deposit in deep-sea sediments of methane combined with near-freezing water.
