Glossary of Climate Change

Glossary of climate change

This article serves as a glossary of the most common terms and how they are used. Fairly obvious terms with wiki articles are simply linked.

The glossary used by the IPCC  is a useful reference.

A
Albedo: An index of the “reflectiveness” of the Earth – a way of quantifying how much energy is reflected back into outer space, as opposed to that absorbed by the earth’s atmosphere
Antarctic oscillation (AAO)
Anthropogenic: literally, man-made: but avoids the uncomfortable use of “man” to mean “men and women”.
Anthropogenic climate change: climate change with the presumption of human influence, usually warming
Arctic oscillation (AO): see NAO
Atmospheric sciences
Attribution: see attribution of recent climate change: the study of what has caused climate change

B
Black carbon – an aerosol – see also radiative forcing

C
Carbon sequestration – Proposals for removing CO2 from the atmosphere, or for preventing CO2 from fossil fuel use ever being released.
Carbon tax
Climate
Climate commitment studies – How much future warming is “committed”, even if greenhouse gas levels do not rise.
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 variability – climate change, with definitely no presumption of cause.

D
Detection and attribution – see attribution of recent climate change

E
Earth’s atmosphere
Earthshine
El Niño/ENSO

F
Fossil fuel
Freon

G
Global cooling – the possibility of cooling, mostly about the 1970’s
Global climate model, also General Circulation Model or GCM – a computer model of the world’s climate system, including the atmosphere and oceans.
Global dimming – the observed decrease in surface insolation, that may have recently reversed
Global warming — usually: the warming trend over the past century or so; also: any period in which the temperature of the earth’s atmosphere increases; also the theory of such changes.
Global warming controversy — socio-political issues surrounding the theory of global warming.
Global warming period – any period in which the temperature of the earth’s atmosphere increases
Global warming potential
Greenhouse effect — both natural and anthropogenic
Greenhouse gases — cause the greenhouse effect
Gulf Stream

H
Historical temperature record – see temperature record
Holocene
Holocene Climatic Optimum

I
Ice age
Ice core
Impact of global climate changes on agriculture
Insolation amount of solar radiation reaching the surface of the Earth.
Instrumental temperature record – quasi-global since 1850
Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation (IPO) – a cycle of 15-30 years between warm or cool waters in the north and south Pacific.
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
Intertropical convergence zone – belt of low pressure caused by the convergence of warm, moist air from the latitudes above and below the equator.

K
Kyoto Protocol – modification to UNFCCC

L
Little Ice Age

M
Maunder Minimum
Mauna Loa: home to the longest instrumental CO2 record
Medieval climate optimum: warm period from about the 10th century to about the 14th century
Meteorology: some of the basic science underlying climate
Methane: a greenhouse gas

N
US National Assessment on Climate Change
North Atlantic Deep Water: one of the water masses of the ocean
North Atlantic oscillation: an atmospheric climate mode

O
Ozone depletion: not strongly connected to climate change

P
Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO) – a 23-year pattern of warm or cool water in the north Pacific.
Parameterization
Phenology
Proxy – a variable that can be related to one of interest (e.g. tree rings can be proxies for temperature variations)

Q
Quasi-biennial oscillation

R
radiative forcing
runaway greenhouse effect — somewhat ill-defined term, associated with the idea of large irreversible temperature rises

S
Satellite temperature measurements – since 1979
Scientific opinion on climate change
Sea level rise
Solar variation
Sunspot

T
Thermohaline circulation
TEX-86

U
Urban heat island
United Kingdom Climate Change Programme
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

W
World climate research programme