Climate Change Week 2

Question 1

Infrastructure

Answer 1

the basic physical and organizational structures and facilities (e.g. buildings, roads, power supplies) needed for the operation of a society or enterprise

Question 2

Vector-borne Disease

Answer 2

Diseases transmitted from one host to another, often via bites from flies, ticks or mosquitoes, including malaria, dengue fever and Zika virus.

Question 3

Ground level ozone

Answer 3

a harmful secondary air pollutant that is formed when nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) chemically react in the presence of sunlight and heat. It is a major component of smog, which is created from emissions from sources like cars, power plants, and industrial boilers. Unlike the ozone layer in the upper atmosphere that protects us from UV radiation, ground-level ozone is dangerous and can cause respiratory problems

Question 4

Biodiversity

Answer 4

The variety of life on Earth, including plants, animals and microorganisms. Each species plays a unique role in maintaining ecological processes, making biodiversity vital for the planet’s overall functioning and sustainability.

Question 5

Range of tolerance

Answer 5

the spectrum of abiotic conditions, such as temperature or pH, that an individual or species can endure and still survive and reproduce

Question 6

Coral bleaching

Answer 6

a stress response where corals expel the colorful, symbiotic algae (zooxanthellae) living in their tissues, causing them to turn white

Question 7

Permafrost

Answer 7

is permanently frozen ground that is most common in regions with high mountains and in Earth’s higher latitudes—near the North and South Poles

Question 8

Storm surge

Answer 8

abnormal rise in seawater level during a storm

Question 9

Saltwater intrusion

Answer 9

the movement of saltwater from the ocean into freshwater aquifers, wells, and soils. This can be caused by sea level rise, storm surges, or overextraction of groundwater.

Question 10

Hadley cells

Answer 10

a large-scale atmospheric convection cell in which air rises at the equator and sinks at medium latitudes, typically about 30° north or south.

Question 11

Jet stream

Answer 11

a narrow band of high-speed, generally westerly winds found in the upper atmosphere, formed by the Earth’s rotation and the differential heating of the atmosphere.

Question 12

Polar vortex

Answer 12

a large area of low-pressure, cold air that circulates around the Earth’s poles in the upper atmosphere. It is strongest during winter and typically stays near the poles, but weakening winds can cause it to expand southward, bringing frigid temperatures to mid-latitude regions.

Question 13

Thermohaline circulation

Answer 13

a large-scale ocean current system driven by differences in water temperature and salinity, which in turn affect water density. This global “conveyor belt” moves heat, nutrients, and carbon across the world, playing a critical role in regulating Earth’s climate. The circulation is powered by sinking of dense, cold, and salty water in high-latitude areas like the North Atlantic and Southern Ocean, which forces deeper water to move and eventually rise in other parts of the world.

Question 14

Gulf stream

Answer 14

The Gulf Stream is a strong ocean current that brings warm water from the Gulf of America into the Atlantic Ocean. It extends all the way up the eastern coast of the United States and Canada.

Question 15

Glacier

Answer 15

a slowly moving mass or river of ice formed by the accumulation and compaction of snow on mountains or near the poles. About two-thirds of the freshwater on Earth is in glaciers.

Question 16

Arctic

Answer 16

An area surrounding the North Pole that includes the Arctic Ocean, most of Greenland, parts of northern Russia, Alaska, Norway, Sweden and Finland, and most of the islands north of the Canadian mainland.

Question 17

Antarctic

Answer 17

An area surrounding the continent of Antarctica at the South Pole

Question 18

Iceberg

Answer 18

a large (greater than 5 m across) floating mass of freshwater ice that has broken from a glacier or ice shelf and is floating freely in open water. The saying “tip of the iceberg” comes from the fact that most of
the ice – over 90% - in an iceberg is below the surface of the water.

Question 19

Ice sheets

Answer 19

a permanent layer of ice covering an extensive tract of land, especially a polar region.

Question 20

Ice shelf

Answer 20

An ice shelf is a large, floating platform of glacial ice that is fed by one or more glaciers and floats on the ocean.

Question 21

Sea ice

Answer 21

Frozen seawater. Sea ice covers about 7% of the Ocean surface at any given time. If all sea ice were to melt now, it would have little impact on sea level rise because the ice formed from sea water originally.

Question 22

Waterborne disease

Answer 22

Illnesses caused by germs in dirty water, leading to diseases
like cholera, hepatitis and diarrhoea.