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chapter 13 ELS
atmosphere and climate change vocab
Term | Definition |
---|---|
climate | the long-term prevailing weather conditions at a particular place based upon records taken |
latitude | the distance form the equator measured in degrees north or south of the equator |
el nino | the name given to the short-term (generally 6 to 18 month period), periodic change in the location of warm and cold water masses in the pacific ocean |
la Nina | the cool phase of the el nino- southern oscillation: a periodic occurrence in the eastern pacific ocean in which the surface-water temperature becomes usually cool |
ozone layer | area in the stratosphere where the ozone is highly concentrated |
chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) | hydrocarbons in which some or all of the hydrogen atoms are replaced by chlorine and fluorine: used in coolants for refridgerators and air conditioners and in cleaning solvents; their use is restricted because they destroy ozone molecules in the stratosph |
ozone hole | a thinning of the stratospheric ozone that occurs over the poles during the spring |
polar stratospheric clouds | a cloud that forms at altitudes of about 21,000 m during the Antarctic and antarctic winter or early spring, when air temperatures drop below -80 degrees Celsius |
greenhouse gases | gases that absorb and radiate heat |
global warming | a gradual increase in the average global temperature that is due to a higher concentration of gases such as carbon dioxide in the atmosphere |
Kyoto protocol | an international treat according to which developed countries that signed the treaty agree to reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases that may contribute to global warming by 2012 |