Global climate Flashcards
Adaptation
Initiatives and measure that are taken into place in order to reduce the vulnerability of human and natural systems to climate change
Albedo
The amount of solar energy that is reflected by the Earth’s surface
Anthropogenic
The human related processes and impacts
The enhanced greenhouse effect
The increasing amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, due to human activities and their impacts on atmospheric systems, including global warming
Global warming
The increase in temperatures around the world that have been depicted from the 1960s, more seriously in 1980s
The greenhouse effect
Certain gases (carbon dioxide, methane, water vapour) release short-wave radiation from the sun to the Earth, which heats up the Earth’s atmosphere but trap an increasing amount of long-wave radiation from the Earth, which heats up the atmosphere.
Mitigation
Attempts to reduce the causes of climate change
Resilience
The ability for a population or a human or natural system t absorb change without making fundamental change
Vulnerability
The degree to which a human or natural system is susceptible to.
Radiation
The emission of electromagnetic waves (x-rays, short-waves, long-waves)
Convection
The transfer of heat by movement of gas or liquid
Conduction
Transfer of heat through contact
Positive feedback loop
Output affects the system in a way that it increases more of that future output
(Polar ice, Berry ripening)
Negative feedback loop
When the output affects the system in a way that it reduces future output (Food input, Bunnies)
Insolation
The amount of solar energy entering a given area.
