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11 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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climate |
The long term prevailing weather conditions at a particular place
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latitude |
the angular distance of a place north or south of the earth's equator, usually expressed in degrees and minutes. |
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El nino |
an irregularly occurring series of climatic changes affecting the equatorial Pacific region characterized by the appearance of unusually warm, nutrient-poor water off northern Peru and Ecuador, typically in late December.
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La nina |
a cooling of the water in the equatorial Pacific that occurs at irregular intervals and is associated with widespread changes in weather patterns complementary to those of El Niño, but less extensive and damaging in their effects.
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ozone layer |
a layer in the earth's stratosphere which absorbs most of the ultraviolet radiation reaching the earth from the sun.
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chlorofluorocarbons |
any of a class of compounds of carbon, hydrogen, chlorine, and fluorine.(usually gases used in refrigerants and aerosol propellants). They are harmful to the ozone layer because of the release of chlorine atoms upon exposure to ultraviolet radiation.
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ozone hole |
a region of marked thinning of the ozone layer in high latitudes, (mostly in winter), attributed to the chemical action of chlorofluorocarbons and other atmospheric pollutants. The resulting increase in ultraviolet light at ground level gives rise to an increased risk of skin cancer.
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polar stratospheric clouds |
the medium on which reservoir chlorine compounds are converted into ozone-destroying chlorine radicals. |
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greenhouse gases |
a gas that contributes to the greenhouse effect by absorbing infrared radiation (carbon dioxide and chlorofluorocarbons).
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global warming |
a gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth's atmosphere generally attributed to the greenhouse effect caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons, and other pollutants.
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Kyoto protocol |
an international agreement (linked to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) committing its parties by setting internationally binding emission reduction targets.
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