Climate Change Glossary - Browse Glossary letter A

Group of countries included in Annex I (as amended in 1998) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, including all the developed countries in the Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development, and economies in transition. By default, the other countries are referred to as Non-Annex I countries. Under Articles 4.2 (a) and 4.2 (b) of the Convention, Annex I countries commit themselves specifically to the aim of returning individually or jointly to their 1990 levels of greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2000.

Argon constitutes 1.3 percent of the atmosphere by weight and 0.94 percent by volume. Argon is isolated on a large scale by the fractional distillation of liquid air. It is used in gas-filled electric light bulbs, radio tubes, and Geiger counters. It also is widely utilized as an inert atmosphere for arc-welding metals, such as aluminium and stainless steel; for the production and fabrication of metals, such as titanium, zirconium, and uranium; and for growing crystals of semiconductors, such as silicon and germanium. glossary.

Swedish scientist that was the first to claim in 1896 that fossil fuel combustion may eventually result in enhanced global warming. He proposed a relation between atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations and temperature. He found that the average surface temperature of the earth is about 15oC because of the infrared absorption capacity of water vapor and carbon dioxide. This is called the natural greenhouse effect. Arrhenius suggested a doubling of the CO2 concentration would lead to a 5oC temperature rise.

The gaseous envelope surrounding the Earth. The dry atmosphere consists almost entirely of nitrogen (78.1% volume mixing ratio) and oxygen (20.9% volume mixing ratio), together with a number of trace gases, such as argon (0.93% volume mixing ratio), helium, and radiatively active greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (0.035% volume mixing ratio), and ozone. In addition the atmosphere contains water vapour, whose amount is highly variable but typically 1% volume mixing ratio. The atmosphere also contains clouds and aerosols.
The atmosphere changes from the ground up and consists of four distinct layers: troposphere (8-14,5 km), stratosphere (14,5-50 km), mesosphere (50-85 km) and thermosphere (85-600 km). Temperatures are different for each layer. In the troposphere temperatures drop from about 17 to -52 degrees Celcius, in the stratosphere temperatures increase gradually to -3 degrees Celcius, in the mesosphere temperatures fall to -93 degrees Celcius as altitude increases, and in the thermosphere temperatures can be as high as 1727 degrees Celsius (figure 1).
Above the thermosphere, the exosphere starts and continues until it mixes with interplanetary gases or space. This layer primarily consists of low-density particles such as hydrogen and helium.

The lifetime of a greenhouse gas refers to the approximate amount of time it would take for the anthropogenic increment to an atmospheric pollutant concentration to return to its natural level (assuming emissions cease) as a result of either being converted to another chemical compound or being taken out of the atmosphere via a sink. This time depends on the pollutant's sources and sinks as well as its reactivity. The lifetime of a pollutant is often considered in conjunction with the mixing of pollutants in the atmosphere; a long lifetime will allow the pollutant to mix throughout the atmosphere. Average lifetimes can vary from about a week (sulfate aerosols) to more than a century (chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), carbon dioxide). See greenhouse gas and residence time.

The ability of a system (e.g. ecosystem) to adapt to climate change or other environmental disturbances. This may mean moderating potential damages, taking advantage of opportunities or coping with the consequences. In discussions on global warming adaptive capacity often refers to a country. In this case it is currently much lower in developing countries, consequential to poverty.

A collection of airborne solid or liquid particles, with a typical size between 0.01 and 10 micrometers (µm) and residing in the atmosphere for at least several hours. Aerosols may be of either natural or anthropogenic origin. Aerosols may influence climate in two ways: directly through scattering and absorbing radiation, and indirectly through acting as condensation nuclei for cloud formation or modifying the optical properties and lifetime of clouds. The term has also come to be associated, erroneously, with the propellant used in "aerosol sprays." See climate, particulate matter, sulfate aerosols.

A collection of airborne solid or liquid particles, with a typical size between 0.01 and 10 µm and residing in the atmosphere for at least several hours. Aerosols may be of either natural or anthropogenic origin. Aerosols may influence climate in two ways: directly through scattering and absorbing radiation, and indirectly through acting as condensation nuclei for cloud formation or modifying the optical properties and lifetime of clouds. See: Indirect aerosol effect.
The term has also come to be associated, erroneously, with the propellant used in “aerosol sprays”.

The fraction of solar radiation reflected by a surface or object, often expressed as a percentage. Snow covered surfaces have a high albedo; the albedo of soils ranges from high to low; vegetation covered surfaces and oceans have a low albedo. The Earth’s albedo varies mainly through varying cloudiness, snow, ice, leaf area and land cover changes.
The ratio of reflected to incident light; albedo can be expressed as either a percentage or as a fraction of 1. Snow covered areas have a high albedo (up to about 0,9 or 90%) because of their white color, while vegetation has a low albedo (generally about 0,1 or 10%) because of its dark colors and because of the light that is absorbed for photosynthesis. Clouds have an intermediate albedo and are the most important contributor to the earth's albedo. The Earth's aggregate albedo is approximately 0,3.

A technique for the measurement of the elevation of the sea, land or ice surface. For example, the height of the sea surface (with respect to the centre of the Earth or, more conventionally, with respect to a standard “ellipsoid of revolution”) can be measured from space by current state-of-the-art radar altimetry with centrimetric precision. Altimetry has the advantage of being a measurement relative to a geocentric reference frame, rather than relative to land level as for a tide gauge, and of affording quasi-global coverage.

Adjustment in natural or human systems to a new or changing environment. Adaptation to climate change refers to adjustment in natural or human systems in response to actual or expected climatic stimuli or their effects, which moderates harm or exploits beneficial opportunities. Various types of adaptation can be distinguished, including anticipatory and reactive adaptation, private and public adaptation, and autonomous and planned adaptation.

Fog generated when winds flow over a surface with a different temperature. Two types of advection fog exist. When warm air flows over a cold surface it can produce fog through contact cooling. Cold air blowing over a warm moist surface produces a form of advection fog know as evaporation fog.

Under an emissions trading scheme, permits to emit can initially either be given away for free, usually under a ‘grandfathering’ approach based on past emissions in a base year or an ‘updating’ approach based on the more recent emissions. The alternative is to auction permits in an initial market offering.

Refers to the 3Rs of reduce, reuse and recycle, which classify waste management strategies according to their desirability. The 3Rs are meant to be a hierarchy, in order of importance.
The waste hierarchy has taken many forms over the past decade, but the basic concept has remained the cornerstone of most waste minimisation strategies. The aim of the waste hierarchy is to extract the maximum practical benefits from products and to generate the minimum amount of waste.

Climate Change Glossary Word Definitions Related to Climate Change and Global Warming

Climate Change Glossary
Word Definitions Related to
Climate Change and Global Warming