Climate Change and Environmental Science

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greenhouse effect

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Natural situation in which heat is trapped in Earth's atmosphere by carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, and other gases.

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greenhouse gases

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Gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, and in the atmosphere which are involved in the greenhouse effect.

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thermohaline circulation

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An oceanic circulation pattern that drives the mixing of surface water and deep water.

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El Nino

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A warm ocean current that flows along the coast of Peru and US west coast every seven to fourteen years.

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global climate change

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Changes in the average weather that occurs in an area over a period of years or decades.

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global warming

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A gradual increase in average global temperature.

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Proxy Indicator

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Indirect evidence, such as pollen from sediment cores and air bubbles from ice cores, of the climate of the past.

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climate models

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Programs that combine what is known about atmospheric circulation, ocean circulation, atmosphere-ocean interactions, and feedback cycles to simulate climate processes.

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Coral Bleaching

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A phenomenon in which algae inside corals die, causing the corals to turn white.

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carbon footprint

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Measure of the impact human activities have on the environment in terms of the amount of greenhouse gases produced, measured in units of carbon dioxide.