Unit 9 Vocabulary

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

the warming of the oceans, land masses, and atmosphere of earth

an estimate of how much a molecule of any compound can contribute to global warming over a period of 100 years relative to the molecule of CO2

an international agreement that sets a goal for global emissions of greenhouse gases from all industrialized countries to be reduced by 5.2 percent below their 1990 levels by 2012

an approach to stabalizing greenhouse gases by removing CO2 from the atmosphere

the percentage of incoming sunlight reflected from a surface

the layer of the atmosphere above the troposphere, extending roughly 16 to 50km above the surface of Earth

the death of the last member of a species

a serious risk of extinction

species that live in their historical range, typically where they have lived for thousands or millions of years

a species that spreads rapidly across large areas

a 1973 US act designed to protect species from extinction

habitat that occurs where two different communities come together, typically forming an abrupt transition, such as where a grassy field meets a forest

a list of worldwide threatened species

derived from human activity

living on Earth in a way that allows humans to use its resources without depriving future generations of those resources

A family of organic compounds whose properties make them ideal for use in refrigeration and air conditioning

protected area consisting of zones that vary in the amount of permissible human impact

a federal public land managed for the primary purpose of protecting wildlife

how long a molecule stays in the atmosphere

a global agreement to phase CFCs out of production if refrigerators, aerosols, and other uses

the angle earth’s axis is tilited with respect to Earth’s orbital plane

the shape of Earth’s orbit

a convection current in the atmosphere that cycles between the equator and 30°N and 30° S