Unit 2B key terms

Question 1

mitigation

Answer 1

efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
- reduced food waste/plant-based diet (ind.)
- better public transport (m)
- emission caps (s/f)
- equal food distribution (inter.)

Question 2

adaptation

Answer 2

taking actions to reduce risk from climate change effects
- living shorelines
- raise roads (Miami)
- building for flooding

Question 3

coral bleaching

Answer 3

When the waters become too warm, zooxanthellae leave corals and those are its source of color and carbohydrates

Question 4

Precautionary Principle

Answer 4

take action if we think there might be negative consequences of something for humanity, even if we are unsure of what is going to happen

Question 5

zooxanthellae

Answer 5

a type of phytoplankton that lives symbiotically inside the tissue of other organisms (coral)

Question 6

symbiont

Answer 6

an organism living in symbiosis with another

Question 7

tipping points

Answer 7

elements of the Earth system in which small changes can kick off reinforcing loops
- permafrost
- boreal forest
- amazon
- coral reefs
- Atlantic ocean circulation
- Greenland
- Antarctica

Question 8

tropical disease vectors

Answer 8

mosquitoes, ticks, flies, fleas and lice

Question 9

effects of warming on humans

Answer 9

• displacement
• more vector -borne diseases
• rising economic costs
• heat-related illness

Question 10

effects of warming on organisms

Answer 10

• Disrupted migration patterns
• Habitat loss (melting Arctic sea ice affecting polar bears)
• Coral bleaching
• Increased risk of extinction for species unable to adapt

Question 11

effects of warming on natural phenomena

Answer 11

• More intense and frequent hurricanes and storms
• Rising sea levels from melting ice caps and thermal expansion
• increased frequency and severity of droughts

Question 12

Carbon sinks

Answer 12

Ocean
Amazon rainforest (old growth forests)
Permafrost
Limestone rock
Coal, petroleum
Ice (small)

Question 13

Carbon sources

Answer 13

Combustion of fossil fuels
(controversial) farm animal respiration
Melting of permafrost
Deforestation (decomposition, burning)
Volcanoes
Landfills

Question 14

Kyoto Protocol

Answer 14

Legally binds developed countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions - Excludes developing countries and the U.S. never ratified it

Question 15

Paris Agreement

Answer 15

Global commitment to limit warming to below 2°C, aiming for 1.5°C

Question 16

IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change)

Answer 16

Provides scientific assessments on climate change, its impacts, and potential adaptation/mitigation strategies

Question 17

milkanovitch cycles

Answer 17

astronomical factors that influence climate change
- occur over long period of time
- between glacial (colder/more moderate) and interglacial (warmer/more extreme) periods
3 factors:
- precession:

Question 18

Precession

Answer 18

is the axis pointing at Vega or Polaris for the northern star
- Polaris (current) or Vega
polaris: milder seasons, glacial
vega: more extreme seasons, interglacial

Question 19

axial tilt/obliquity

Answer 19

tilt of planet’s axis, varies between 24.5 and 21.5
greater tilt = diff between season more extreme
lower tilt = less extreme, ice age condition
41 k year periodicity
currently at 23.5, decreasing from max tilt 10 k years ago

Question 20

eccentricity

Answer 20

shape of planet’s orbit around sun
- most elliptical = extreme diff between seasons, interglacial condition
- least elliptical = less extreme seasonal differences, glacial conditions
- currently at lowest centricity/most spherical

Question 21

Aphelion

Answer 21

furthest from sun (Apo = far away in latin)

Question 22

perihelion

Answer 22

closest to sun (peri = closest to sun)