Glossary

Chemical symbol for carbon.

When a mass of ice breaks off from a wall of ice, ice front (ice-shelf edge) or iceberg.

The separation of ice crystals in freshwater and brackish-water ice into individual crystals (“candles”) as the result of different melting processes between the crystals, caused by the absorption of sunlight.

Process involving the capture of CO₂ from industrial and energy-related sources, its transport to a storage facility, and its long-term isolation from the atmosphere.

In all four spheres of the environment, the element carbon occurs in the form of various compounds.

A naturally occurring gas, but also a by-product of burning fossil fuels and biomass, of land-use changes and industrial processes.

Ratio of CO₂ emissions to gross domestic product (GDP).

Positively charged ions produced when an element or an anion loses electrons until its overall charge is positive, i.e., until it has more protons than electrons. Examples include sodium (Na⁺), magnesium (Mg²⁺), calcium (Ca²⁺), potassium (K⁺) and strontium (Sr²⁺).

Carbon capture and storage.

Clean Development Mechanism.

The abbreviation for chlorofluorocarbons.

Chemical formula for the compound methane.

Specialised organelles found in the cells of photosynthetically active organisms, e.g. in the cells of plants, algae and certain bacteria. They convert light energy into chemical energy through photosynthesis.

The currents flowing around the polar regions of both hemispheres are referred to as the Circumpolar Currents.

Climate in the stricter sense is defined as the mean status of the atmosphere in a given place or region over an extended timeframe.

A climate archive offers insights into the Earth’s past climate / climate history. Accordingly, anything that stores information on past climatic conditions can be considered a climate archive.

Climate change refers to any change in the climate over time that can be identified by a change in the mean value or in the variation range of its properties.

Refers to factors that affect various components of the climate.

Interaction mechanism between processes in the climate system.

Due to climate inertia, the climate will continue to change even long after the CO₂ concentration stabilises. Climate models indicate that the surface air temperature will continue to rise for at least a further century.

A numerical representation of the climate system based on the physical, chemical and biological properties of its components, their interactions and feedbacks, and which considers all or certain known properties of the system.

Estimate of how the climate will develop in the future on a seasonal, multi-year or longer-term time scale. Outcomes are presented as probabilities.

A projection of how the climate system would react to a given emission or concentration scenario for greenhouse gases, aerosols or radiative forcing scenarios, frequently made on the basis of climate model simulations.

Climate scenarios are prepared with the aid of climate models and assumptions on future greenhouse-gas emissions.

A measure of how the mean global surface temperature would change if the atmospheric CO₂ concentration were doubled.

Earth’s natural climate system consists of several subsystems (spheres). The individual subsystems are closely connected by material and energy flows (e.g. the water cycle and carbon cycle) and respond to changes at varying speeds.

Climate variability refers to fluctuations in the mean status and other statistical parameters concerning the climate at all spatial and temporal scales above individual weather events.

A type of climate feedback in which the characteristics of clouds change in response to other atmospheric changes.

Chemical formula for the compound carbon dioxide.

Convergent motion of ice floes, which increases the ice concentration.

Computer tomography (CT) can be used to create three-dimensional representations of an object’s internal and external structure, allowing details to be recognised on a micrometre scale.

In the context of international law, the Conference of the Parties (COP) is the highest body at an international convention, e.g. the UNFCCC in 1992.

Conference of the Parties (COP).

In an IPCC Report, the standard term used to describe the level of confidence in a given statement. The IPCC defines this term in the introduction.

The theory of continental drift describes the gradual motion, division and fusion of continents.

The term “continental shelf” refers to a region that lies underwater (shelf sea) and extends from the coastline to a depth of ca. 200 metres.

Part of the ocean separating a continental shelf from the deep-sea floor. Continental slopes are characterised by a sudden increase in water depth and extend from the outer edge of a given continental shelf to a depth of between 3,000 and 4,000 metres. These slopes are home to various geological phenomena, such as underwater gorges, canyons, trenches and other structures. They also offer an important habitat for deep-sea organisms, as they are rich in nutrients and sediments from the continental shelf.

In the ocean and atmosphere, the vertical and turbulent motion of water / air, usually due to density changes, is referred to as convection.

The fading of colour that occurs when a coral loses the symbiosis with its energy-providing organisms.

Corals are small animals known as polyps, roughly resembling miniature sea cucumbers, that are capable of forming colonies. These polyps form a shared skeleton which, in some species, provides the foundation for a coral reef.

Fictitious force in rotating systems that deflects a particle’s motion perpendicular to its initial direction of motion. Does not affect motion in the direction of the rotational axis.

Any fracture in the ice that has not yet led to separation or calving. This includes all fractures that have not yet led to ice breakup.

The community of plankton organisms that live within the sea ice, primarily phytoplankton, but to a lesser extent also zooplankton.

The part of the climate system that encompasses snow, ice and frozen soil (including permafrost) above and below the surface of the Earth and ocean surface.