Anthropogenic Climate Change GlossaryBy

Thomas SaundersSierra Club - Oklahoma Environmental Health Committee - Chairman

A

Acidification- is the process of becoming acid or being converted into being acidic. Ocean acidification refers to the PH change in the water from excess CO2 which affects the water’s carbon sink capacity and the formation of carbonic acid which affects the natural growth of some ocean creatures.

Acid Rain- refers to any precipitation that is unusually acidic. Acid rain can be produced by emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide, which react with the water molecules in the atmosphere to produce acids.

Adaptation - refers to an adjustment in natural or human biological systems in response to a changing or changed environment.

Adaptive Management- refers to the process of flexible decision-making that incorporates learning from outcomes and new scientific information. The process facilitates decision-making by resource managers to manage and respond to climate change impacts.

Aerosols- are fine solid or liquid particles, caused by people or occurring naturally, that are suspended in the atmosphere. Aerosols can cause cooling by scattering incoming radiation or by affecting cloud cover. Aerosols can also cause warming by absorbing radiation.

Albedo - An index of the "reflectiveness" - a way of quantifying how much radiation is reflected back from the sun, as opposed to that absorbed. Low albedo ~0 absorb most of the radiation and high ~1 reflect it. (Wikipedia)

Algae Blooms refer to a sudden, rapid growth of algae in lakes and coastal oceans caused by a variety of factors including, for example, warmer surface waters or increased nutrient levels. Some algal blooms may be toxic or harmful to humans and ecosystems.

Anoxic Event- refers to a situation when the Earth's oceans are free of oxygen below the surface layer.

Antarctic Oscillation (AAO) - refers to a low-frequency mode of atmospheric variability in the southern hemisphere. (Wikipedia)

Anthropocene – refers to an era or epic when human activity first started to have an impact on earth’s geology and ecosystems.

Anthropogenic - refers to being man-made.

Anthropogenic Climate Disruption -refers to man-made climate change disruptions. ACD events include:

Air, water, and soil acidification destructionCommunity displacementDroughtsFamineGlobal warming and greenhouse gas effectsIncreasing extinctions of land and ocean plants and creatures (ecosystems)Induced earthquakesProperty damagesRising oceansSevere inland floodsSocial instabilitySuperstormsToxic biological, chemical, and radioactive critical contaminations

Anthropogenic Global Warming (AGW) is global warming with the presumption of human influence. (Wikipedia)

Anticyclonic Circulation- refers to a fluid motion that creates a vertical opposite water flow of clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and counterclockwise in the Southern Hemisphere, leaving the equator with undefined directions. Anticyclonic circulation is the opposite of cyclonic circulation. (AMS Glossary)

Anti-Greenhouse Effect - a cooling effect the atmosphere has on the ambient temperature of the planet.

Arctic Amplification - The effect of sea ice melting which replaces the high albedo ice with low albedo sea water which absorbs more radiation from the sun and melts more ice.

Arctic Oscillation (AO) - the dominant pattern of non-seasonal sea-level pressure (SLP) variations north of 20 degrees N, and is characterized by SLP anomalies of one sign in the Arctic and anomalies of opposite sign centered about 37-45 degrees N. See also NAO. (Wikipedia)

Arctic Shrinkage - is the marked decrease in Arctic sea ice: for example the observed melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet in recent years.

Atlantic Multi-Decadal Oscillation (AMO) is a theoretical mode of natural variability occurring in the North Atlantic Ocean and which has its principle expression in the sea surface temperature.

Atmospheric Sciences - a general term for the study of the atmosphere, its processes, and the effects other systems have on the atmosphere, and the effects of the atmosphere on these other systems.

Atmospheric Window - refers to those parts of the electromagnetic spectrum that are, with the Earth's atmosphere in its natural state, not absorbed at all. (Wikipedia)

Attribution of Recent Climate Change – refers to the study of the causes of climate change.

B

Benzene – A common toxin often used in hydraulic fracking operations.

Bias Correctional Method- refers to one of two statistical approaches used to alleviate the limitations of global and regional climate models, in which statistical data is adjusted to observational data.

Biodiversity refers to the variety of life, including the number of plant and animal species, life forms, genetic types, habitats, and biomes (which are characteristic groupings of plant and animal species found in a particular climate).

Bioenergy- refers to energy produced using plant or animal matter such as corn or manure.

Biofuel- refers to fuel produced from plant or animal matter such as corn or manure.

Biomass- refers to mass of living organisms in a given area, or material derived from organisms.

Biogeochemical- refers to fluxes, or flows, of chemical elements among different parts of the Earth: from living to non-living, from atmosphere to land to sea, from soils to plants.

Black Carbon- refers to an aerosol or particulate.

BTEX – stands for benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes. BTEX is a common environmental toxin associated with gas fracking operations.

C

Cap and Trade - is a system for controlling carbon emissions and other forms of atmospheric pollution by which an upper limit is set on the amount a given business or other organization may produce but which allows further capacity to be bought from other organizations that have not used their full allowance.

Cancer Cluster- happens when a larger-than-expected number of people contract cancer in a given area over a specific time period. (National Cancer Institute)

Carbon Cycle - is the biogeochemical cycle by which carbon is exchanged between the biosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere of the Earth.

Carbon Diet – refers to the act of reducing the output of CO2 to decrease the impact on the environment by reducing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Carbon Footprint - refers to the total set of greenhouse gas emissions caused by an organization, event or product.

Carbon Offset - a mechanism for individuals and businesses to neutralize rather than actually reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, by purchasing the right to claim someone else's reductions as their own.

Carbon Sequestration – refers to proposals for removing CO2 from the atmosphere, or for preventing CO2 from fossil fuel combustion from reaching the atmosphere.

Carbon Sink - a natural or artificial reservoir that accumulates and stores some carbon-containing chemical compound for an indefinite period.

Carbon Sink Capacity- refers to the ability to cleanse carbon accumulations from the air, water, or soil.

Carbon Tax – refers to a tax on energy sources which emit carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.

Chelating Agent – is a substance whose molecules can form several bonds to a single metal ion like mercury or lead and can be used to cleanse metal toxins from the body.

Clathrate Gun Hypothesis – refers to the theory that melting methane clathrates could trigger runaway or very severe global warming. (Wikipedia)

Climate - the average and variations of weather in a region over long periods of time.

Climate Change - changes of climate in general, usually with no presumption of human influence. Note, however, that there is one important exception to this: the UNFCCC defines "climate change" as anthropogenic.

Climate Change Feedback – refers to a natural phenomenon that may increase or decrease the warming that eventually results from a change in radiative forcing.

Climate Commitment – refers to the degree of future warming "committed", even if greenhouse gas levels do not rise due to thermal inertia mainly from earth’s hydrosphere.

Climate Ethics – refers to an area of research that focuses on the ethical dimensions of climate change.

Climate Forcing - an energy imbalance imposed on the climate system either externally or by human activities.

Climate Justice - term used for viewing climate change as an ethical issue, and considering how its causes and effects relate to concepts of justice

Climate Legislation – refers to legislation dealing with regulation of greenhouse gas emissions.

Climate Refugee – refers to a displaced person caused by climate change induced environmental ACD disasters.

Climate Resilience – refers to the capacity for a social or ecological system to absorb or adapt to stresses and maintain function in the face of external stresses imposed upon it by climate change.

Climate Sensitivity - how responsive the temperature of the climate system is to a change in radiative forcing. Also: the temperature change in °C associated with a doubling of the concentration of CO2 in atmosphere (as the single most important factor of radiative forcing).

Climate Variability – refers to climate change event with no presumption of cause.

Climatology (Climate Science) - the study of climate, scientifically defined as weather conditions averaged over a period of time.

Cloud Radiative Effect – refers to the radiative effect of clouds relative to no clouds. The effect is also referred to as Cloud Radiative Forcing.

Cold Wave- refers to a period of abnormally cold weather lasting for days or weeks.

Critical Contamination - is when the exposure to a biological, chemical, or radioactive Environmental Toxin causes a definable medical problem.

Critical Slowing Down - refers to the decreasing rate of recovery from small disturbances to a system as it approaches a tipping point. In other words, when a system is close to a tipping point, it can take a long time to recover from even a very small disturbance.

D

Desertification - the degradation of land in arid and dry sub-humid areas, resulting primarily from natural activities and influenced by climatic variations.

Drought- refers to a dry spell were weather is marked by little or no rain that lasts long enough to cause water shortages.

E

Earth's Atmosphere – refers to the layer of gases surrounding the planet Earth and retained by the Earth's gravity and the magnetosphere.

Earthshine - sunlight reflected from Earth and illuminating the dark side of the Moon.

Eco-efficiency - creating more goods and services while using fewer resources and creating less waste and pollution.

Ecosystem- refers to all the living things in a particular area as well as components of the physical environment with which they interact, such as air, soil, water, and sunlight.

Ecosystem Services - Benefits humans get from a multitude of resources and processes that are supplied by natural ecosystems.

Eco Tax – refers to the fiscal policy that introduces taxes intended to promote ecologically sustainable activities via economic incentives.

El Niño - refers to the ocean- an atmospheric climate interaction which is linked to a periodic warming in sea surface temperatures across the central

and east-central Equatorial Pacific. La Niña is the opposite phenomena where sea temperatures cool.

Emission Intensity – refers to the average emission rate of a given pollutant from a source relative to the intensity of a specific activity.

Emission Scenarios- refers to quantitative illustrations of how the release of different amounts of climate altering gases and particles into the atmosphere from human and natural sources will produce different future climate conditions. Scenarios are developed using a wide range of assumptions about population growth, economic and technological development, and other factors.

Emission Standards - requirements that set specific limits on the amount of pollutants that can be released into the environment.

Endocrine Disruption Chemical (EDC) refers mostly to any one of a possible 800 chemicals known to be used in gas fracking processes. EDCs can cause hypo or hyper secretion of endocrine glands and promote the growth of tumors.

Epigenetics- refers to the study of changes in organisms caused by modification of gene expression rather than alteration of the genetic code itself. “Epigentics is the study of heritable changes in gene function that do not involve changes in the DNA sequence. The Greek prefix epi- (ἐπι- "over, outside of, around") in epigenetics implies features that are "on top of" or "in addition to" the traditional genetic basis for inheritance.[2] Epigenetics often refers to changes in a chromosome that affect gene activity and expression, but can also be used to describe any heritable phenotypic change that does not derive from a modification of the genome, such as prions. Such effects on cellular and physiological phenotypic traits may result from external or environmental factors, or be part of normal developmental program. The standard definition of epigenetics requires these alterations to be heritable,[ either in the progeny of cells or of organisms.” (Wikipedia)

Environmental Crime – refers to an act or crime against the environment which holds the perpetrator liable for prosecution.

Environmental Justice- refers to fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.

Eutrophication – refers to increasing amounts of nutrients in water such as nitrogen and phosphorus. It is one of the major causes of pollution from

corporate livestock operations. Two symptoms of eutrophication in a body of water are oxygen depletion and the growth of harmful algae blooms.

Evapotranspiration - refers to evaporation of water from soil and plant leaves.

Extratropical Cyclone – is a large storm of around 1000km, usually at high latitudes in the winter with extreme temperature variations and humidity.

Extreme Events- refer to weather events that are rare at a particular place and time of year, including, for example, heat waves, cold waves, heavy rains, periods of drought and flooding, and severe storms.

F

Feedbacks – refers to either amplification (positive feedback) or a reduction (negative feedback) related to ACD events.

Feedback Loops – refer to a phenomenon when outputs of a system are routed back as inputs as part of a chain of cause-and-effect that forms a circuit or loop. An example is when a fire gets big enough to create its own wind. All ACD events create feedback loops.

Forcing- refers to factors that affect the Earth's climate. For example, natural factors such as the forceful energy of volcanoes and human factors such as the emission of heat-trapping gases and particles through fossil fuel combustion.

Fossil Fuel - refers to fossil source fuels like hydrocarbons found within the top layer of the earth’s crust.

Freon – refers to DuPont's trade name for its odorless, colorless, nonflammable, and noncorrosive chlorofluorocarbon and hydro-chlorofluorocarbon refrigerants, which are used in air conditioning and refrigeration systems. (Wikipedia)

Frost–free Season refers to a time period between the last occurrence of an air temperature of 32°F in spring and the first occurrence of 32°F in the subsequent fall.

G

Gas Fracking- refers to the unconventional drilling used in hydraulic fracturing operations to extract gas or oil.

Genotoxicity- refers to the toxic level of critical contamination of the human genome or DNA.

Geoengineering- refers to intentional modifications of Earth systems, usually technological, as a means to reduce future climate change.

Glacial Earthquake – refers to large scale tremblors that occur in glaciated areas where the glacier moves faster than one kilometer per year.

Global Climate Model, or General Circulation Model or GCM - is a computer model of the world's climate system, including the atmosphere and oceans.

Global Cooling - conjecture during the 1970s of imminent cooling of the Earth's surface and atmosphere along with a posited commencement of glaciation.

Global Dimming – refers to an observed decrease in surface insolation of the atmosphere.

Global Mean Sea Level – refers to the average sea level at surface height across the ocean.

Global Warming (GW) – refers to the earth’s warming trend over the past century or a period in which the temperature of the Earth's atmosphere increases.

Global Warming Controversy – refers to the socio-political issues surrounding the theory of global warming.

Global Warming Period – refers to any period in which the temperature of the Earth's atmosphere increases.

Global Warming Potential – refers to the measure of how much a given mass of greenhouse gas is estimated to contribute to global warming.

Goldilocks Zone – refers to a hypothetical zone inclined to provide human comfort.

Greenhouse Effect - The greenhouse effect is the process by which solar radiation entering the planet's atmosphere warms the planet's surface to a temperature above what it would be in the absence of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. In short, greenhouse gases trap heat.

Greenhouse Gas – refers to gasses such as Carbon Dioxide, Methane, Ozone, Nitrous Oxide and Water Vapor that cause and primarily contribute to the greenhouse effect.

Greenhouse Gas Inventory – is a type of emission inventory that includes greenhouse gas emissions from source categories as well as removal by carbon sinks. (Wikipedia)

Gulf Stream - a powerful, warm, and swift Atlantic Ocean current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico, exits through the Strait of Florida, and follows the eastern coastlines of the United States and Newfoundland before crossing the Atlantic Ocean.

H

Heat Stress- refers to negative health impacts, such as heat stroke or heat exhaustion, caused by exposure to extreme heat or long periods in hot environments.

Heat Wave- refers to abnormally hot weather lasting days or weeks.

Heavy Precipitation Event- refers to an episode of abnormally high rain or snow. The definition of "extreme" is a statistical concept that varies depending on location, season, and length of the historical record.

Holocene - a geological period, which began approximately 11,550 calendar years BP (about 9600 BC) and continued to the current Anthropocene.

Holocene Climatic Optimum – refers to a warm period during roughly the interval 9,000 to 5,000 years B.P.

Hydrocarbons - a hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon.

I

Ice Age - is a period of long-term reduction in the temperature of Earth's climate, resulting in an expansion of the continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and glaciers.

Ice Core – refers to a core sample from the accumulation of snow and ice over many years that have re-crystallized and have trapped air bubbles from previous time periods.

Indicator- refers to an observation or calculation that allows scientists, analysts, decision makers, and others to track environmental trends,

understand key factors that influence the environment, and identify effects on ecosystems and society.

Induced Earthquake- refers to earthquakes directly related to fracking and the disposal of fracking wastewater.

Insolation Level – refers to the amount of solar radiation trapped in the atmosphere on the surface of the Earth. (Wikipedia)

Invasive Species – refers to an introduced species that adversely affects the habitats and bioregions of other species.

Irradiance – refers to the amount of electromagnetic radiation reaching a surface, measured in watts per square meter. (Wikipedia)

Instrumental Temperature Record - shows the fluctuations of the temperature of the atmosphere and the oceans as measured by temperature sensors.

Inter-Decadal Pacific Oscillation (IPO) – refers to a cycle of 15–30 years between warm or cool waters in the north and south Pacific.

J

“John Tyndall - was the first scientist who explained the heat in the Earth's atmosphere in terms of the capacities of the various gases in the air to absorb radiant heat, also known as infrared radiation. His measuring device, which used thermopile technology, is an early landmark in the history of absorption spectroscopy of gases. He was the first to correctly measure the relative infrared absorptive powers of the gases nitrogen, oxygen, water vapor, carbon dioxide, ozone, methane, etc. (year 1859).” (Wikipedia)

K

Keeling Curve – refers to a graph showing the variation in concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide since 1958. (Wikipedia)

L

Land Cover- refers to physical characteristics of the land surface, such as crops, trees, or concrete. Relates to the idea of land use.

Lithosphere- refers to the rigid outermost shell of a planet (the crust and upper mantle) and is broken up into sections called tectonic plates. The Earth's lithosphere is composed of as many as eight major plates, and many minor plates and fault lines. It is the type of activity or direction of

movement between plates that determines a type of earthquake as an event. These factors and the magnitude levels can be determined by seismic tracking.

Little Ice Age – refers to a period of cooling occurring after a warmer era known as the Medieval Climate Optimum.

M

Magnetosphere - the region around an astronomical object in which phenomena are dominated or organized by its magnetic field.

Maunder Minimum - the name given to the period roughly from 1645 to 1715, when sunspots became exceedingly rare, as noted by solar observers of the time. (Wikipedia)

Medieval Climate Optimum – refers to warm period from about the 10th century to about the 14th century. (Wikipedia)

Meteorology - the interdisciplinary scientific study of the atmosphere that focuses on weather processes and forecasting. (Wikipedia)

Methane - a greenhouse gas released by enteric fermentation in livestock, rice production, and fossil fuel extraction.

Mitigation of Global Warming - involves taking actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to enhance carbon sink capacities aimed at reducing the extent of global warming.

Mode of Variability – refers to a pattern of climate change, usually oscillatory, with specific regional effects. (Wikipedia)

N

Nitrous Oxide (N2O) - is a potent greenhouse gas produced primarily in agriculture, particularly by the livestock sector.

Noble Gases – refers to the six elements that make up Group 18 of the periodic table: helium (He), neon (Ne), argon (Ar), krypton (Kr), xenon (Xe), and radon (Rn). At one time, this family of elements was also known as the rare gases. Their present name comes from the fact that the six gases are highly unreactive; they appear almost "noble"—above interacting with other members of the periodic table. This lack of reactivity has also led to a second name by which they are sometimes known—the inert gases. (Inert means inactive.) http://www.scienceclarified.com/Mu-Oi/Noble-Gases.html

Read more: http://www.scienceclarified.com/Mu-Oi/Noble-Gases.html#ixzz53KoSd7wK

Nonradioactive forcing - a climate forcing that creates an energy imbalance that does not immediately involve radiation. (Wikipedia)

North Atlantic Oscillation – refers to a phenomenon of weather and atmospheric pressure fluctuations in the North Atlantic.

Nutrients- refer to chemicals (such as nitrogen and phosphorus) that plants and animals need to live and grow. At high concentrations, particularly in water, nutrients can become pollutants.

O

Ocean Acidification- is the process by which ocean waters have become more acidic due to the absorption of human-produced carbon dioxide, which interacts with ocean water to form carbonic acid and lower the ocean’s Ph. Acidity, reduces the capacity of key plankton species and shelled animals to form and maintain shells.

Organic Compound – is any member of a large class of gaseous, liquid, or solid chemical compounds whose molecules contain carbon.

Ozone- is a greenhouse gas which absorbs most of the Sun's ultraviolet (UV) radiation, and forms a layer in the stratosphere.

Ozone Depletion – refers to the depletion of ozone in the stratosphere.

P

Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) – refers to a 23-year pattern of warm or cool water in the north Pacific.

Paleoclimate- refers to the climate that existed during the period before modern record-keeping. Paleoclimate can be measured with "natural thermometers" such as ice cores or tree rings.

Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) – refers to a sudden warming event that fundamentally altered geological and biological aspects of the planet.

Paleoclimatology - the study of climate change taken on the scale of the entire history of Earth.

Parameterization – refers to the statistically based assumptions about the behavior of clouds including their reflective values of solar heat.

Particulate Matter – refers to a microscopic solid or liquid matter suspended in the Earth's atmosphere.

Pathogen- refers to microorganisms (such as a bacteria or viruses) that cause disease.

Permafrost- refers to ground that remains at or below freezing for at least two consecutive years.

Phenology- refers to the pattern of seasonal life cycle events in plants and animals, such as timing of blooming, hibernation, and migration.

Phytoplankton- refers to microscopic plants that live in salt and fresh water environments.

Polar Amplification - greater temperature increases in the Arctic than in the earth as a whole is a result of the collective effect of feedbacks and other processes. It does not apply to the Antarctic, because the Southern Ocean acts as a heat sink.

Polar City – refers to a proposed human refuge located in northern regions of the Earth, and in Tasmania, New Zealand and the Antarctica, where people might have to live in order to survive major global warming "events" in the future.

Proxies- refer to a way to indirectly measure aspects of climate. Biological or physical records from ice cores, tree rings, and soil boreholes are good examples of proxy data.

R

Radiative forcing - is (loosely) defined as the change in net irradiance at the tropopause. (See Forcing)

Raw water - Raw water is natural water found in the environment and has not been treated, nor have any minerals, ions, particles or living organisms been removed. Raw water includes rainwater, ground water, water from infiltration wells, and water from bodies like lakes and rivers. (Wkipedia)

Removal Unit – refers to a tradable carbon credit or 'Kyoto unit' representing an allowance to emit one metric ton of greenhouse gases absorbed by a removal or Carbon sink activity in an Annex I country. (Wikipedia)

Renewable Energy – refers to a source of energy which is not depleted when used. These methods of energy generation include wind, solar, biomass, tidal, hydroelectric, and geothermal.

Resilience - refers to the capability to anticipate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from significant multi-hazard threats with minimum damage to social well-being, the economy, and the environment.

Risk Based Assessment- refers to planning based on the pros and cons of a given set of possibilities concerning ACD events. This includes assessment of a risk in terms of the likelihood of an ACD event occurrence and the magnitude of the impact associated with the risks.

Runaway Greenhouse Effect - somewhat ill-defined term, associated with the idea of large irreversible temperature rises. (Wikipedia)

S

Scenario – refers to assumptions used to help understand potential future conditions such as population growth, land use, and sea level rise. Scenarios are neither predictions nor forecasts. Scenarios are commonly used for planning purposes.

Sink- refers to a natural or technological process that removes carbon from the atmosphere and stores it. (See Carbon Sink)

Slash and burn – refers to a form of deforestation used to clear fields for agricultural use.

Solar variation - refers to changes in the amount of radiant energy emitted by the Sun.

Solar wind - refers to the stream of charged particles ejected from the upper atmosphere of the Sun.

Snow Water Equivalent (SWE)- refers to the amount of water held in a volume of snow, which depends on the density of the snow and other factors.

Storm Surge- refers to sea height during storms such as hurricanes that is above the normal level expected at that time and place based on the tides alone.

Stratification refers to the layering of water by temperature and density that can occur in lakes or other bodies of water, often seasonally.

Stressor- refers to something that has an effect on people and on natural, managed, and socioeconomic systems. Multiple stressors can have compounded effects, such as when economic or market stress combines with drought to negatively impact farmers.

Sunspot - is a region on the Sun's surface (photosphere) that is marked by a lower temperature than its surroundings and has intense magnetic activity, which inhibits convection, and forms areas of low surface temperature. Sunspots affect the weather patterns of the earth by affecting the magnetosphere.

Svante Arrhenius - in 1896 is attributed to revealing the basic theory of the greenhouse effect. It is said that he sat down and worked it out with a pencil and paper. He knew and shared scientific information with John Tyndall.

Synergy Toxins – are toxic substances which are composed of two or more compounds that create a higher toxicity level than the single ingredients.

T

Timeline of ACD Events – refers to the natural 50 year cycle between the start of a cause to the result of the full effect of what happens due to ACD events in the micro, macro, and social environments.

Tipping point (climatology) - the point at which change due to human activity brings about sufficient new processes in nature to make any human reversal of the change impossible.

Thermocline - (sometimes metalimnion) is a layer within a body of water or air where the temperature changes rapidly with depth. (Wikipedia)

Thermohaline Circulation – refers to the global density which drives the circulation of the oceans. (Wikipedia)

Thunderstorm - a storm with lighting and thunder.

Toxicity – refers to the degree which a substance can damage an organism.

Toxic Threat Radius – refers to the distance from an environmental toxic source where critical contamination can affect a victim.

Transpiration- refers to the evaporation of water through plant leaves.

Troposphere - refers to the lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere and site of weather events on Earth. The troposphere is bonded on the top by a layer of

air called the tropopause, which separates the troposphere from the stratosphere and on bottom by the surface of the Earth.

U

Urban Heat Island - refers to a metropolitan area which is significantly warmer than its surroundings.

Uncertainty- refers to an expression of the degree to which future climate is unknown. Uncertainty about the future climate arises from the complexity of the climate system and the ability of models to represent it, as well as the inability to predict the decisions that society will make. There is also uncertainty about how climate change, in combination with other stressors, will affect people and natural systems.

V

Validation- refers to establishment of, or to verify accuracy. For example, the use of measurements of temperature or precipitation to determine the accuracy of climate model results.

Vector- refers to organisms, such as an insect, that transmits disease-causing microorganisms such as viruses or bacteria. Vector-borne diseases include, for example, Malaria, Dengue fever and Lyme disease.

Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) - Volatile organic compounds are organic chemicals that have a high vapor pressure at ordinary room temperature due to a low boiling point.

Vulnerability Assessment- refers to analysis of the degree to which a system is susceptible to or unable to cope with the adverse effects of climate change.

W

Water Security refers to the reliable availability of water in sufficient quantity and quality to sustain human health, livelihoods, and the environment.

Wastewater- refers to the used liquids or brine used in the hydraulic fracking process.

Z

Zika Virus – is one of several vector borne viruses escalated due to the effects of global warming.

References:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_climate_changehttp://www.globalchange.gov/climate-change/glossaryhttp://www.sierraclub.org/oklahoma/healthglossary https://science2017.globalchange.gov/chapter/appendix-e/