ACTIVITIES BOOK - Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority

endangered - a species is endangered when it isconsidered to be facing a very high risk of extinctionin the wild.endemic - animals or plants that are found only inone locality or region.fossil fuels - coal, oil, and natural gas, whichformed from the remains of organisms that livedmillions of years ago.global warming - an increase in the averagetemperature at Earth’s surface caused by thebuildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.green - a colloquialism referring to an individual oractivity that is positive for the environment.greenhouse effect - the process by which anatmosphere warms a planet. This takes place whengases allow sunshine to pass through theatmosphere but absorb the heat that radiates backfrom the surface, keeping it warm.greenhouse gases - gases that increase globaltemperatures by absorbing the radiation emitted byEarth’s surface. Carbon dioxide is the mostimportant greenhouse gas as far as climate changeis concerned. Other greenhouse gases include watervapour, methane, and nitrous oxide.Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change(IPCC) - an international scientific panel tasked toevaluate the risk of climate change caused byhuman activity.invertebrate - an animal that does not have avertebral column or backbone.La Niña - El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO;commonly referred to as simply El Niño) is a globalocean-atmosphere phenomenon. The Pacific oceansignatures, El Niño and La Niña are importanttemperature fluctuations in surface waters of thetropical Eastern Pacific Ocean.mass coral bleaching - when many corals over alarge area bleach at once.marine scientist - is qualified at university to do ajob which involves researching the sea, its life formsand surrounding coastal areas. They analyse thesea and its interaction with the land, atmosphereand sea floors. They apply their knowledge for useby, among others, governments, universities andenvironmental assessment bodies.methane (CH 4 ) - a colourless, odourless, flammablegas produced by a variety of natural sources,including microorganisms, cattle, and termites.nitrous oxide (N 2 O) - a colourless gas or liquidproduced by the combustion of fossil fuel.ocean acidification - is the name given to theongoing decrease in the pH of the Earth's oceans,caused by their uptake of anthropogenic carbondioxide from the atmosphere. Between 1751 and1994 surface ocean pH is estimated to havedecreased from approximately 8.179 to 8.104 (achange of -0.075).offset (carbon offset) - is a financial way ofrepresenting a reduction in greenhouse gasemissions. Carbon offsets are measured in metrictons of carbon dioxide-equivalent (CO 2 e). Onecarbon offset represents the reduction of one metricton of carbon dioxide, or its equivalent in othergreenhouse gases.paleoclimate - is the study of climate change takenon the scale of the entire history of Earth. It usesrecords from ice sheets, tree rings, sediment, androcks (including fossils) to determine the past stateof the climate system on Earth.parts per million (ppm) - units used to measureconcentrations of trace gases. Values refer to thenumber of specified molecules contained in onemillion molecules of dry air.permafrost - in geology, permafrost or permafrostsoil is soil at or below the freezing point of water (0°C or 32 °F) and that stays that way for a minimumof two or more years.photosynthesis - is a metabolic pathway thatconverts carbon dioxide into organic compounds,especially sugars, using the energy from sunlight.polyp - polyps are approximately cylindrical andlook a bit like an upside down jellyfish. The baseend is attached either to the substrate by means ofa disc-like holdfast if the polyp is solitary (such asmushroom corals), or is connected to other polyps,either directly or indirectly, if the polyp is part of acolony (such as in most larger corals). The oral endbears the mouth, and is surrounded by a circle oftentacles.proxy data - data that paleoclimatologists gatherfrom natural recorders of climate variability (e.g.tree rings, ice cores, fossil pollen, ocean sediments,coral and historical data). By analysing recordstaken from these and other proxy sources,scientists can extend our understanding of climatefar beyond the 140 year instrumental record.resilient - the ability to return to original form afterdisturbance, adversity, illness. In terms of the Reefthis refers to the ability to regenerate to a healthy ornearly healthy state after cyclones, disease,bleaching and other forms of damage.respiration - the process within living cells thatreleases CO 2 and water when organic compoundscombine with oxygen and break down.run-off - the water from rain or irrigation that flowsover the land surface and is not absorbed into theground, instead flowing into streams and in somecases, out to the reef.35Reef Beat 2009 - Climate Change and the Reef