ATLAS Vocab Review: ESS2

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Positive Feedback

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A process that amplifies an initial change (e.g., melting ice reduces albedo, causing more warming).

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Negative Feedback

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A process that counteracts a change to maintain system stability or balance.

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Albedo

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The reflectivity of a surface; high albedo (ice) reflects solar energy, while low albedo (ocean) absorbs it.

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Milankovitch Cycles

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Periodic changes in Earth’s orbit and tilt that alter the distribution of solar energy over thousands of years.

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Greenhouse Effect

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The process where atmospheric gases trap infrared radiation (heat), regulating Earth's surface temperature.

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Specific Heat

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The energy required to change a substance's temperature; water's high specific heat stabilizes global climates.

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Chemical Weathering

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The breakdown of rocks through chemical reactions, such as carbonic acid in rain dissolving limestone.

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Frost Wedging

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Physical weathering caused by water expanding as it freezes in rock crevices, breaking the rock apart.

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Carbon Sink

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A reservoir (like oceans or forests) that absorbs and stores more carbon than it releases.

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Carbon Flux

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The movement/transfer of carbon between spheres (e.g., photosynthesis moving C from atmosphere to biosphere).