Glossary

Climate change glossary

Science can be confusing, especially when the scientific definition of  some words different than what we say in everyday speech. Here you can find a list of scientific terms used on this site and their technical definitions.

  • Neogene - The Neogene began 23 million years ago, and it goes until now. It was or is the period when the Earth and the life on it have become that what they are today. Coral reefs were only built in the… ...
  • Paleogene - The Paleogene began 66 million years ago, and it ended 23 million years ago. It was the period when the mammals started to conquer every ecosystem. The coral reefs got their modern look. Different snails and clams lived there. The… ...
  • Cretaceous - The Cretaceous began 145 million years ago, and it ended 66 million years ago. It was the period when the sea level had its highest point. In the seas, tiny single-celled algae produced huge chalk layers. Different groups of invertebrates… ...
  • Jurassic - The Jurassic began 201 million years ago, and it ended 145 million years ago. It was the period when the supercontinent Pangea broke off. Huge sponge and coral reefs were built in the seas. There was a huge diversity in… ...
  • Triassic - The Triassic began 252 million years ago, and it ended 201 million years ago. It was the period when the first dinosaurs appeared. New calcareous algal and coral reefs were built. The clams got a higher diversity and the brachiopods… ...
  • Permian - The Permian began 298 million years ago, and it ended 252 million years ago. It was the period when all land masses were unified to the supercontinent Pangea. The brachiopods developed a huge diversity and there were also reefs which… ...
  • Carboniferous - The Carboniferous began 358 million years ago, and it ended 298 million years ago. It was the period when large forests grew, and they caused the large coal deposits and a high oxygen level. A huge diversity of corals, echinoderms… ...
  • Devonian - The Devonian began 419 million years ago, and it ended 358 million years ago. It was the period, which is called the age of fishes. The fishes developed a huge diversity which was dominated by the armoured fishes. On the… ...
  • Silurian - The Silurian began 443 million years ago, and it ended 419 million years ago. It was the period when life started to conquer the land seriously. Mosses and early spore plants built up the first vegetation outside of the water.… ...
  • Weather - Weather describes at a given time and place what the atmospheric temperature, moisture, wind, and barometric pressure is doing, such as being hot, cold, windy or dry. When the weather is unusual, relating that to climate change can be difficult,… ...