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 IPCCÂ 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