Term
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Definition
| shields life on Earth from the sun's UV radiation |
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Term
| Three forms of sun's UV Radiation |
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Definition
| __A (long wavelength), __B (medium wavelength), __C (short wavelength) |
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Term
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Definition
| formed in the upper stratosphere by photochemical reaction between O2 and O with UV as catalyst; UVC can break apart the O molecule; a reversible action; mostly produced near equator |
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Term
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Definition
| to break apart with light |
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Term
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Definition
| extends 6 mi to 31 mi above Earth's surface; houses 97-99% of atmosphere's ozone |
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Term
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Definition
| the small perentage of ozone that is considered a pollutant |
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Term
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Definition
| light with wavelengths shorter than the minimum the human eye can see |
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Term
| Most Common Bands of Energy |
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Definition
| Visible Light, Infrared, Ultraviolet |
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Term
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Definition
| wavelength of 320-400nm; most of it reaches Earth's surface; closest to blue/violet in visible light spectrum; essential for making vitamin D & tanning; overexposure causes sunburn & premature aging; can be seen by birds, insects, and reptiles |
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Term
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Definition
| 5% reaches Earth's surface; 290-320nm; can alter human DNA; over-exposure causes "snow blindness," cataracts, immune deficiencies, and non-melanoma skin cancer |
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Term
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Definition
| 100-290nm; none reaches Earth's surface; only found in the ozone; both forms and destroys the ozone |
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Term
| Ozone-depeleting substances |
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Definition
| chemical compounds released into atmos that cause _____; contain chlorofluorocarbons and halogens (CL, Br, I, F) in the atmosphere |
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Term
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Definition
| primary man-made compounds involved in depletion of ozone; commonly used as refrigerants & aerosol propellants; now banned in US & most developed countrues; stay in stratosphere for 20-120 yrs |
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Term
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Definition
| area of seasonal ozone depletion over Antarctic that tends to travel toward the equator and may linger over Australia, New Zealand, S. America, & S. Africa; increased UVB lvls by 3-10%, occasionally 20% |
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Term
| Polar Stratopheric Clouds (PSCs) |
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Definition
| ice clouds formed during the Antarctic winter months of below -78C; consolidation of greenhouse gases in these clouds drive O3-depletion ractions |
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Term
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Definition
| formed when UV radiation breaks down a CFC molecule and reacts with a disconnected O molecule from O3; one atomic Cl molecule can destroy 100,000 O3 molecules |
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Term
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Definition
| 150x less than CL, but 10 to 100 times more destructive of O3; no stable binding of ___ and it is easily photoyzed |
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Term
| Environmental Effects of O3 Depletion |
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Definition
| weather pattern changes; increasing cooling of strat & warming of tropo; more ground-lvl smog; increased sunburns, eye diseases, plants; incr'd UVB radiation; incr'd rate of mutations in human & nonhuman DNA |
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Term
| Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) |
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Definition
| safe CFC alternative; replace Cl molecule with hydrogen; react with stratospheric O3 but they have shorter atmospheric lifetimes than CFCs; HCFCs seen as a temporary fix |
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Term
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Definition
| safe CFC alternative; contain carbon, fluorine, and hydrogen; don't directly affect stratospheric ozone; doesn't deplete O3 but does have other adverse enviro'l effects (may contribute to global warming) |
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Term
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Definition
| safe CFC alternative; butane or propane; ozone safe w/o chlorine but are flammable & poisonous |
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Term
| Clean Air Act Ammendments |
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Definition
| require disposal of old refrigerators & air-conditioners; require older units to be modified to use newer coolants |
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Term
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Definition
| steady increase in avg temp of Earth's surface that may be caused by man-made greenhouse gas emissions; been observed since 1980s; debated over temp increase is natr'l or accelerated by human activity |
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Term
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Definition
| any change in the state of climate that persists for many yrs; natr'l process; measured over at least 30 yrs |
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Term
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Definition
| soak up infrared radiation and trap heat in the atmosphere; widely associated with global warming |
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Term
| Natural Greenhouse Effect |
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Definition
| essential to keep Earth's climate warm and inhabitable |
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Term
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Definition
| most prominent greenhouse gas; sources: burning fossil fuels, fires, decomposition, deforestation; spends avg of 50-100 yrs in atmosphere |
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Term
| Carbon Tetrachloride (CCl4) |
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Definition
| primarily used in production of cleaning fluids, esp in manufacture of military airplanes & spacecrafts; avg time in atmosphere: 50 yr |
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Term
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Definition
| used in fire suppression and dry-cleaning supplies; found naturally in smoke plume of burning biomass & phytoplankton; relative warming effects are 6,000x CO2 |
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Term
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Definition
| avg time in atmosphere: 15 yrs; warming facto of 25 x CO2; sources: cattle, coal, natr'l gas leaks |
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Term
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Definition
| avg time in atmosphere: 115 ys; relative warming potential: 300x CO2; source: burning of fossil fuels, livestock waste, fertilizers, & plastic manufacturing |
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Term
| Sulfur Hexafluoride (SF6) |
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Definition
| used in heavy industry to insulate high-voltage equipment and to assist in manufacturing cable cooling systems; replaced carchinogenic PCBs; avg time in atmosphere: 3,200 yrs; 24,000 x CO2 relative warming potential (highest) |
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Term
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Definition
| as temps increase, more water evaporates and causes add'l water vapor to ruse into atmos; natr'lly occurring |
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Term
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Definition
| affects the pH of seawater; formed by an increase of CO2 in the atmosphere; as CO2 increases in atmosphere, oceans absorb CO2 and the CO2 and water mix to form ____ |
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Term
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Definition
| produce increased warming of the Pacific Ocean every 2-7 yrs; frequency has increased over recent years; may be linked to global warming but these cycles are hard to predict |
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Term
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Definition
| produce cooling of surface waters near the equatorial region of the Pacific Ocean evry 2-7 yrs; has been more rare in recent years |
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Term
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Definition
| areas such as plants and oceans that absorb CO2 from the atmosphere |
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Term
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Definition
| goal is to stabilize greenhouse-gas concentrations in atmosphere at a level that would prevent climate change; signed by 187 nations that are committed to reduce CO2, CH4, N2O, & SH6; agreed to reduce GHG emissions by 5.2%; US has not signed |
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Term
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Definition
| variety of organisms found within a specific geographic area |
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Term
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Definition
| a species's role in a community |
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Term
| Factors That Make Ecosystems' Biodiversity Decline (HIPPCO) |
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Definition
| Habitat destruction, degradation & fragmentation; Invasive species; Population & resources use increases; Pollution; Climate change; Overexploitation |
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Term
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Definition
| sea animals (dolphins & seals for example) caught unintentionally as part of netting or long-lining techniques |
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Definition
| animals/plants so rare they are in danger of becoming extinct |
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Definition
| plants/animals projected to become endangered within the foreseeable future |
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Term
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Definition
| face a high risk of extinction in medium term |
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