Acid Rain: Rain polluted by acids, particularly sulfur based compounds
Atmosphere: the air surrounding a planet
Carbon dioxide: Also known as CO2, a common carbon compound present in the atmosphere in increasing amounts due to the burning of fossil fuels.
CFC's: Chlorofluorocarbons. Organic compounds made up of atoms of carbon, chlorine and fluorine. Man-made gasses that are responsible for much of the destruction of the ozone layer.
Climate Models: tool used by scientists that simulates the interaction of physical processes in the atmosphere
Fossil fuels: preserved forms of carbon formed in the earth from dead plant and animal matter (oil coal and natural gas)
Global Warming: the increase in the average temperature of the Earth that is believed to be caused primarily by the Greenhouse Effect
Greenhouse Effect: The absorption of energy radiated from the Earth's surface by carbon dioxide and other gases in the atmosphere, causing the atmosphere to become warmer.
Greenhouse Gases: Methane, Carbon dioxide, nitrous oxides and ozone
Ground level Ozone: Major component for smog
Hydrocarbons: Hydrogen and Carbon based compounds such as methane, coal and petroleum
Methane: Also known as CH4, a natural, greenhouse gas with heat-trapping properties that is released as a waste product of anaerobic bacteria and livestock.
Ozone: Also known as 03, a form of oxygen present primarily in the stratosphere and responsible for blocking ultraviolet radiation
Smog: A mixture of smoke and fog
Ultraviolet Radiation: an invisible form of short-wave radiation that is emitted by the sun.