Upgrade to remove ads
Only $35.99/year

Unit 4 Global Warming

Terms in this set (19)

Weather
The state of the atmosphere at any given time
Climate
The average weather conditions in an area over a long period of time
Greenhouse gases
A gas that contributes to the greenhouse effect by absorbing infrared radiation
5 examples of greenhouse gases
1. Carbon dioxide(CO2)
2. Methane(CH4)
3. Nitrous oxide(NO2
4.Chlorofluorocarbons(CFCs)
5. Water vapor(H2O)
Fossil fuels
A nonrenewable energy resource formed from the remains of organisms that lived long ago
3 examples of fossil fuels
1. Oil
2. Coal
3. Natural gas
Global warming
A gradual increase in the average global temperatures due to a higher concentration of gases ( such as carbon dioxide) in the atmosphere
Biosphere
The part of earth where life exists; include ALL of the living organisms on earth
Lithosphere
The solid outer layer of earth that consists of the crust and the rigid upper part of the mantle
Hydrosphere
The portion of earth that is water
Atmosphere
A mixture of gases that surround a planet or moom
Renewable resources
A natural resource that can be replaced at the same rate at which the resources is consumed
Nonrenewable resources
A resource that forms at a rate that is much SLOWER than the rate at which it is consumed
Combustion
The process of burning something
Carbon cycle
The continuous series of processes by which carbon compounds are converted in the environment, chiefly involving the incorporation of carbon dioxide into living tissues by photosynthesis and its return to the atmosphere through respiration, the decay of dead organisms, and the burning of fossil fuels.
Carbon sinks AKA carbon reservoiers
A natural environment viewed in terms of its ability to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere (absorbs more than it releases)
5 examples of carbon sinks
1. Forests
2. Oceans=deep and cold waters
3. Soil/permafrost
4. Atmosphere
5. Undisturbed buried fossil fuels (stored carbon)
Carbon source
Anything that releases more carbon than it absorbs
Examples of carbon sources
1. Oceans=outgassing of CO2
2. Decomposition of dead organisms
3. Plate movements=outgassing of CO2

*Natural resources don't change the total amount of carbon in the atmosphere b/c it is balanced out by the amount absorbed (or stored) by natural sinks (reservoirs)
Sets with similar terms