Global Warming

Tera M.
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  1. Adelie penguin
    medium-sized penguins occurring in large colonies on the Adelie Coast of Antarctica
    Researcher Bill Fraser has tracked the decline of the Adélie penguins on Antarctica, where their numbers have fallen from 32,000 breeding pairs to 11,000 in 30 years.
  2. bark beetle
    small beetle that bores tunnels in the bark and wood of trees; related to weevils
    Spruce bark beetles have boomed in Alaska thanks to 20 years of warm summers.
  3. pollinate
    fertilize by transferring spores from one plant to another
    For example, plants could bloom earlier than their pollinating insects become active.
  4. ice cap
    a mass of ice and snow that permanently covers a large area of land (e.g., the polar regions or a mountain peak)
    If the Quelccaya ice cap in Peru continues to melt at its current rate, it will be gone by 2100, leaving thousands of people who rely on it for drinking water and electricity without a source of either.
  5. polar bear
    white bear of Arctic regions
    Wildlife research scientist Martyn Obbard has found that since the mid-1980s, with less ice on which to live and fish for food, polar bears have gotten considerably skinnier.
  6. Adelie
    medium-sized penguins occurring in large colonies on the Adelie Coast of Antarctica
    Researcher Bill Fraser has tracked the decline of the Adélie penguins on Antarctica, where their numbers have fallen from 32,000 breeding pairs to 11,000 in 30 years.
  7. Celsius
    Swedish astronomer who devised the centigrade thermometer
    Globally, the mercury is already up more than 1 degree Fahrenheit (0.8 degree Celsius), and even more in sensitive polar regions.
  8. sea level
    level of the ocean's surface
    Sea level rise became faster over the last century.
  9. sync
    adjust in time or manner to make the same
    Species that depend on one another may become out of sync.
  10. Antarctica
    an extremely cold continent at the south pole almost entirely below the Antarctic Circle; covered by an ice cap up to 13,000 feet deep
    This includes mountain glaciers, ice sheets covering West Antarctica and Greenland, and Arctic sea ice.
  11. polar
    of or existing within the Arctic or Antarctic Circles
    Globally, the mercury is already up more than 1 degree Fahrenheit (0.8 degree Celsius), and even more in sensitive polar regions.
  12. ecosystem
    organisms interacting with their physical environment
    Ecosystems will change—some species will move farther north or become more successful; others won’t be able to move and could become extinct.
  13. precipitation
    the falling to earth of any form of water
    The heat is not only melting glaciers and sea ice, it’s also shifting precipitation patterns and setting animals on the move.
  14. snowfall
    water falling from clouds in the form of ice crystals
    Precipitation (rain and snowfall) has increased across the globe, on average.
  15. alpine
    relating to or characteristic of high mountains
    Some butterflies, foxes, and alpine plants have moved farther north or to higher, cooler areas.
  16. penguin
    a flightless seabird often found in cold regions
    Researcher Bill Fraser has tracked the decline of the Adélie penguins on Antarctica, where their numbers have fallen from 32,000 breeding pairs to 11,000 in 30 years.
  17. Fahrenheit
    of or relating to a temperature scale proposed by the inventor of the mercury thermometer
    Globally, the mercury is already up more than 1 degree Fahrenheit (0.8 degree Celsius), and even more in sensitive polar regions.
  18. biologist
    a scientist who studies living organisms
    Polar bear biologist Ian Stirling has found a similar pattern in Hudson Bay.
  19. glacier
    a slowly moving mass of ice
    The heat is not only melting glaciers and sea ice, it’s also shifting precipitation patterns and setting animals on the move.
  20. rainfall
    water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere
    Rainfall in Ethiopia, where droughts are already common, could decline by 10 percent over the next 50 years.
  21. mosquito
    two-winged insect that sucks the blood of humans and animals
    Some diseases will spread, such as malaria carried by mosquitoes.
  22. mercury
    a heavy silvery toxic univalent and bivalent metallic element; the only metal that is liquid at ordinary temperatures
    Globally, the mercury is already up more than 1 degree Fahrenheit (0.8 degree Celsius), and even more in sensitive polar regions.
  23. malaria
    a disease caused by parasites transmitted by mosquito bite
    Some diseases will spread, such as malaria carried by mosquitoes.
  24. beetle
    insect having biting mouthparts
    Spruce bark beetles have boomed in Alaska thanks to 20 years of warm summers.
  25. Hudson Bay
    an inland sea in northern Canada
    Polar bear biologist Ian Stirling has found a similar pattern in Hudson Bay.
  26. wildlife
    all living things in an area that aren't tamed
    Wildlife research scientist Martyn Obbard has found that since the mid-1980s, with less ice on which to live and fish for food, polar bears have gotten considerably skinnier.
  27. Ethiopia
    Ethiopia is a republic in northeastern Africa on the Red Sea
    Rainfall in Ethiopia, where droughts are already common, could decline by 10 percent over the next 50 years.
  28. Greenland
    the largest island in the world
    This includes mountain glaciers, ice sheets covering West Antarctica and Greenland, and Arctic sea ice.
  29. Arctic
    the regions to the north of the Arctic Circle centered on the North Pole
    This includes mountain glaciers, ice sheets covering West Antarctica and Greenland, and Arctic sea ice.
  30. extinct
    no longer in existence
    Ecosystems will change—some species will move farther north or become more successful; others won’t be able to move and could become extinct.
  31. scientist
    a person with advanced knowledge of empirical fields
    Wildlife research scientist Martyn Obbard has found that since the mid-1980s, with less ice on which to live and fish for food, polar bears have gotten considerably skinnier.
  32. hurricane
    a severe tropical cyclone usually with heavy rains and winds
    Hurricanes and other storms are likely to become stronger.
  33. temperature
    the degree of hotness or coldness of a body or environment
    And the effects of rising temperatures aren’t waiting for some far-flung future.
  34. Alaska
    a state in northwestern North America
    Spruce bark beetles have boomed in Alaska thanks to 20 years of warm summers.
  35. Peru
    a republic in western South America
    If the Quelccaya ice cap in Peru continues to melt at its current rate, it will be gone by 2100, leaving thousands of people who rely on it for drinking water and electricity without a source of either.
  36. Hudson
    a New York river
    Polar bear biologist Ian Stirling has found a similar pattern in Hudson Bay.
  37. planet
    a celestial body that revolves around the sun
    The planet is warming, from North Pole to South Pole, and everywhere in between.
  38. electricity
    a physical phenomenon that can produce light, heat and power
    If the Quelccaya ice cap in Peru continues to melt at its current rate, it will be gone by 2100, leaving thousands of people who rely on it for drinking water and electricity without a source of either.
  39. sea
    a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
    The heat is not only melting glaciers and sea ice, it’s also shifting precipitation patterns and setting animals on the move.
  40. disease
    an impairment of health
    Some diseases will spread, such as malaria carried by mosquitoes.
  41. bay
    an indentation of a shoreline smaller than a gulf
    Polar bear biologist Ian Stirling has found a similar pattern in Hudson Bay.
  42. North
    the region of the United States lying to the north of the Mason-Dixon line
    The planet is warming, from North Pole to South Pole, and everywhere in between.
Created on Sun Oct 07 21:16:50 EDT 2012

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