Climate Change — page 4 of 10

922 terms

Climate Change terms

  1. Eccentricity A dimensionless quantity describing the elliptical shape of a planet's orbit.
  2. Economy The way a country manages its money and resources (such as workers and land) to produce, buy, and sell goods and services.
  3. Ecosystem A complex ecological community or environment forming a functioning whole.
  4. Eddy Circular current of water moving against the main current. See recirculation zone.
  5. effective emissivity A correction factor, dependent on the radiational characteristics of the earth-atmosphere system, that permits application of black body radiation laws to…
  6. Effective Terrestrial Radiation The difference between upwelling infrared or terrestrial radiation emitted from the earth and the downwelling infrared radiation from the atmosphere
  7. El Niño A warming of the ocean current along the coasts of Peru and Ecuador that is generally associated with dramatic changes in the weather patterns of the…
  8. El Ni� A climatic phenomenon occurring irregularly, but generally every 3 to 5 years. El Ni�s often first become evident during the Christmas season…
  9. El Ni� - Southern Oscillation (ENSO) El Ni�, in its original sense, is a warm water current that periodically flows along the coast of Ecuador and Peru, disrupting the local…
  10. Electrons Tiny particle moving around outside the nucleus of an atom. Each electron has one unit of negative charge (-) and almost no mass.
  11. element (EH-leh-ment) A basic part of a whole. In chemistry, refers to a simple substance that cannot be broken down into smaller parts or changed into another…
  12. Emission inventory A list of air pollutants emitted into a community's, state's, nation's, or the Earth's atmosphere in amounts per some unit time (e.g.
  13. Emissions Waste substances released into the air or water.
  14. Emissions coefficient/factor A unique value for scaling emissions to activity data in terms of a standard rate of emissions per unit of activity (e.g.
  15. Emissions Factor A unique value for scaling emissions to activity data in terms of a standard rate of emissions per unit of activity (e.g.
  16. Emissivity The ratio of the radiant energy (heat) leaving (being emitted by) a surface to that of a black body at the same temperature and with the same area…
  17. emittance The rate at which a black body radiates energy across all wavelengths.
  18. Endemic Where disease occurs on a consistent basis.
  19. Energy The capability of doing work; different forms of energy can be converted to other forms, but the total amount of energy remains the same.
  20. Energy conservation Reduction or elimination of unnecessary energy use and waste. See energy-efficiency.
  21. Energy Efficiency Using less energy to achieve the same outcome. For example, better insulation would enable a home to stay warm utilizing less energy.
  22. Energy Intensity The relative extent that energy is required for a process.
  23. Energy quality Ability of a form of energy to do useful work. High-temperature heat and the chemical energy in fossil fuels and nuclear fuels are concentrated high…
  24. Engineering Change Order (ECO) (ECO) An engineering task or project directly resulting from an Engineering Change Request.
  25. Engineering Change Request (ECR) (ECR) A method of formally requesting that a change be made to the infrastructure. This change can be to a particular instrument, data system, data process…
  26. Engineering Work Request (EWR) (EWR) Used to request engineering resources, as soon as possible, when operational, science, or engineering needs require a quick engineering response where no…
  27. Enhanced Greenhouse Effect The concept that the natural greenhouse effect has been enhanced by anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases.
  28. Enhanced oil recovery Removal of some of the heavy oil left in an oil well after primary and secondary recovery. See primary oil recovery, secondary oil recovery.
  29. Enteric fermentation A digestive process by which carbohydrates are broken down by microorganisms into simple molecules for absorption into the bloodstream of an animal.
  30. Entrainment The incorporation of fish, eggs, larvae, and other plankton with intake water flow entering and passing through a cooling water intake structure and into…
  31. Environment All the natural and living things around us. The earth, air, weather, plants, and animals all make up our environment.
  32. Environmental Lapse Rate The rate of decrease of air temperature with height, usually measured with a radiosonde.
  33. equilibrium vapor pressure The necessary vapor pressure around liquid water that allows the water to remain in equilibrium with its environment.
  34. Equinox The two times of the year when the sun crosses the equator and night and day are of equal length; usually occurs on March 21st (spring equinox) and…
  35. error Error The difference between a measured value of a quantity and its true value. Different types of errors are inherent to observations.
  36. Ethanol (C 2 5OH)Otherwise known as ethyl alcohol, alcohol, or grain spirit. A clear, colorless, flammable oxygenated hydrocarbon with a boiling point of 78.
  37. Evaporation The conversion of a liquid to a vapor (gas), usually by means of heat.
  38. Evapotranspiration The net water loss (in vapour form) per unit area of land, both directly from the land surface, and indirectly through transpiring leaves.
  39. Exponential growth Growth in which some quantity, such as population size, increases by a constant percentage of the whole during each year or other time period; when the…
  40. external data Data whose origin is not from within the ARM Program; may include data observed at ARM facilities, but whose processing and quality control is done by…
  41. External Data Center (XDC) (XDC) Stores data from non-ARM sources. It is managed by Brookhaven National Laboratory.
  42. external instruments Instruments that belong to organizations that are outside of the ARM Program.
  43. extreme event time The time of extreme meteorological events such as min/max temperature and wind gusts.
  44. fall streaks The falling ice crystals that evaporate before reaching the ground.
  45. feedback the process by which an initial change brings about additional change that either reinforces or counteracts the initial change.
  46. Feedback Mechanisms Factors which increase or amplify (positive feedback) or decrease (negative feedback) the rate of a process.
  47. Feedlot Confined outdoor or indoor space used to raise hundreds to thousands of domesticated livestock. See rangeland.
  48. Fertilization The union of two gametes from opposite sexes to form a zygote. Typically, each gamete contains a haploid set of chromosomes.
  49. Fertilization, Carbon Dioxide An expression (sometimes reduced to fertilization) used to denote increased plant growth due to a higher carbon dioxide concentration.
  50. Fertilizer Any substance that is added to soil in order to increase its productivity. Fertilizers can be of biological origin (e.g.
  51. field Field A region of space at each point of which a given physical or mathematical quantity has some definite value.
  52. field campaign A scheduled period of time, or a field campaign, when the frequency of observations is changed to augment routine data acquisition at a site or to satisfy…
  53. Flaring The burning of waste gases through a flare stack or other device before releasing them to the air.
  54. Floe An accumulation of frazil flocs (also known as a "pan") or a single piece of broken ice.
  55. Fluidized Bed Combustion (FBC) (FBC) A type of furnace or reactor in which fuel particles are combusted while suspended in a stream of hot gas.
  56. Fluorocarbons Carbon-fluorine compounds that often contain other elements such as hydrogen, chlorine, or bromine.
  57. Flux The amount of energy passing through a unit area (for example, 1m2) per time. On this website, we will be discussing the flux of light energy due to…
  58. Fog Fine particles of liquid suspended in the air, such as of water in a fog chamber used for acclimatizing recent ex vitro transplants. See: mist propagation.
  59. forcing factors that drive or "force" a system to change. Forcings that affect our climate system include changes in solar radiation and in greenhouse gas…
  60. Forcing Mechanism A process that alters the energy balance of the climate system, i.e. changes the relative balance between incoming solar radiation and outgoing infrared…
  61. Forest Terrestrial ecosystem (biome) with enough average annual precipitation (at least 76 centimeters or 30 inches) to support growth of various species of…
  62. Fossil fuel Solid, liquid or gaseous fuels formed in the ground after millions of years by chemical and physical changes in plant and animal residues under high…
  63. Fossil fuel combustion Burning of coal, oil (including gasoline), or natural gas. This burning, usually to generate energy, releases carbon dioxide, as well as combustion by…
  64. Free Atmosphere The part of the atmosphere that lies above the frictional influence of the earth's surface.
  65. Freezing Level The altitude at which the air temperature first drops below freezing.
  66. Freon A registered trademark for a cholorfluorocarbon (CFC) gas that is highly stable and that has been historically used as a refrigerant.
  67. freshwater A term referring to bodies of water that do not have salt.
  68. friction velocity A measure of the surface stress reflecting the effects of surface roughness and wind velocity.
  69. Front Weather system that causes changes in temperature, cloud cover, precipitation, wind and barometric pressure.
  70. front (or frontal zone) An interface or zone of transition between two distinct air masses.
  71. Frontal Inversion A temperature inversion that develops aloft when warm air overruns the cold air behind a front.
  72. Frost (Abbrev. FRST) - Frost describes the formation of thin ice crystals on the ground or other surfaces in the form of scales, needles, feathers, or fans.
  73. Frost Point Dew point below freezing.
  74. Fugitive emissions Unintended gas leaks from the processing, transmission, and/or transportation of fossil fuels, CFCs from refrigeration leaks, SF6 from electrical power…
  75. Fusion The combining of lighter elements into heavier ones. For lighter elements (e.g., hydrogen, helium) this process releases energy.
  76. Gasohol A registered trademark of an agency of the state of Nebraska, for an automotive fuel containing a blend of 10 percent ethanol and 90 percent gasoline.
  77. gastropod a member of the class of mollusks that includes snails.
  78. Gauge An instrument, usually mounted on the dashboard, used to monitor engine conditions such as fuel pressure, oil pressure and temperature, water pressure and…
  79. General Aviation That portion of civil aviation, which encompasses all facets of aviation except air carriers.
  80. General Circulation The totality of large-scale organized motion for the entire global atmosphere.
  81. General Circulation Model General circulation model (GCM) Numerical representation of the atmosphere and its phenomena over the entire Earth, using the equations of motion and…
  82. General Circulation Model (GCM) A global, three-dimensional computer model of the climate system which can be used to simulate human-induced climate change.
  83. General Circulation Models (GCMs) - These computer simulations reproduce the Earth's weather patterns and can be used to predict change in the weather and climate.
  84. general measurement strategy An approach to collecting useful information to help the Science Team fulfill the project mission.
  85. geophysical focus areas Six identified focus areas for ARM's data collection and research activities. These focus areas are shortwave radiation, longwave radiation, clouds…
  86. Geopotential Height The height above sea level of a pressure level. For example, if a station reports that the 500 mb height at its location is 5600 m, it means that the…
  87. Geosphere The soils, sediments, and rock layers of the Earth's crust, both continental and beneath the ocean floors.
  88. geostraphic wind A theoretical horizontal wind blowing in a straight path, parallel to the isobars or contours, at a constant speed.
  89. Geostrophic Wind A wind that is affected by coriolis force, blows parallel to isobars and whose strength is related to the pressure gradient (i.e., spacing of the isobars).
  90. Geothermal energy Energy produced by the internal heat of the earth; geothermal heat sources include: hydrothermal convective systems; pressurized water reservoirs; hot dry…
  91. GISP2 Greenland Ice Sheet Project 2, the second phase of an effort by a group of scientists to produce long records of climate by drilling at the summit of the…
  92. glacial a time interval characterized by widespread glacial ice, see also "Ice Age".
  93. Glacier Bodies of land ice that consist of recrystallized snow accumulated on the surface of the ground, and that move slowly downslope.
  94. Glaze Ice formed by freezing precipitation covering the ground or exposed objects.
  95. Global Observing System Global Observing System (GOS) Global network of observational stations which is the coordinated system of methods, techniques and facilities for making…
  96. Global Positioning System (GPS) (GPS) A navigation system which uses a constellation of artificial earth satellites to make precise determinations of the latitude and longitude of locations on…
  97. Global Telecommunication System Global Telecommunication System (GTS) The coordinated global system of telecommunication facilities and arrangements for the rapid collection, exchange…
  98. Global Warming A popular term used to describe the increase in average global temperatures due to the greenhouse effect.
  99. Global Warming Potential (GWP) Global Warming Potential (GWP) is defined as the cumulative radiative forcing effects of a gas over a specified time horizon resulting from the emission…
  100. Gradient General slope or rate of change in vertical elevation per unit of horizontal distance of water surface of a flowing stream.

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