GLOSSARY OF TERMS USED IN THIS LESSON:

Active volcano - a volcano that is erupting; Also, a volcano that is not presently erupting,
but that has erupted within historical time and is considered likely to do so in the future

Adaptation – a response to climate change that involves developing ways to protect

people and places by reducing their vulnerability to climate impacts

Caldera – the Spanish word for cauldron; a basin-shaped volcanic depression

Carbon footprint - the amount of carbon dioxide and other carbon compounds emitted
due to the consumption of fossil fuels by a particular person, group, etc.

Cinder volcano - a volcanic cone built entirely of loose fragmented material (pyroclastics)

Climate - the weather conditions prevailing in an area in general or over a long period

Climate change - the change in global climate patterns apparent from the mid to late
20th century onwards, attributed largely to the increased levels of atmospheric carbon
dioxide produced by the use of fossil fuels

Composite volcano - a steep volcanic cone built by both lava flows and pyroclastic
eruptions; also known as stratovolcano

Dormant volcano - a volcano which is presently inactive but which may erupt again

El Niño - an irregularly occurring and complex series of climatic changes affecting the
equatorial Pacific region and beyond every few years, characterized by the appearance
of unusually warm, nutrient-poor water off northern Peru and Ecuador, typically in late
December

Extinct volcano - a volcano that is not presently erupting and is not likely to do so for a
very long time in the future

Global warming - a gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth’s atmosphere
generally attributed to the greenhouse effect caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide,
chlorofluorocarbons, and other pollutants

Greenhouse effect - the phenomenon whereby the earth’s atmosphere traps solar
radiation, caused by the presence in the atmosphere of gases such as carbon dioxide,
water vapor, and methane that allow incoming sunlight to pass through but absorb heat
radiated back from the earth’s surface

Habagat – The Habagat season is characterized by hot and humid weather, frequent
heavy rainfall, and a prevailing wind from the west. Habagat is also known as monsoon
or southwest monsoon in the Philippines.

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Hotspot - a volcanic center, 60 to 120 miles (100 to 200 km) across and persistent for
at least a few tens of million of years, that is thought to be the surface expression of a
persistent rising plume of hot mantle material. Hot spots are not linked to arcs and may
not be associated with ocean ridges.

Lahar - a torrential flow of water-saturated volcanic debris down the slope of a volcano in
response to gravity

La Niña - a cooling of the water in the equatorial Pacific that occurs at irregular intervals
and is associated with widespread changes in weather patterns complementary to those
of El Niño, but less extensive and damaging in their effects

Latitude - distance measured in degrees east or west from an imaginary line (called the
prime meridian) that goes from the North Pole to the South Pole and that passes through
Greenwich, England

Lava – magma which has reached the surface through a volcanic eruption

Longitude - the angular distance of a place east or west of the meridian at Greenwich,
England, usually expressed in degrees and minutes

Magma - molten rock beneath the surface of the earth

Mitigation - involves attempts to slow the process of global climate change, usually by
lowering the level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere

Pyroclastic flow - a dense, destructive mass of very hot ash, lava fragments, and gases
ejected explosively from a volcano and typically flowing downslope at great speed

Pyroclastic material - pyroclastic rocks or pyroclastics are clastic rocks composed solely
or primarily of volcanic materials

Ring of Fire - also called Circum-Pacific Belt or Pacific Ring of Fire, long horseshoe-
shaped seismically active belt of earthquake epicentres, volcanoes, and tectonic plate
boundaries that fringes the Pacific basin

Shield volcano - a gently sloping volcano in the shape of a flattened dome and built
almost exclusively of lava flows

Stratovolcano – another name for composite volcano; a volcano composed of both lava
flows and pyroclastic material

Subduction - the sideways and downward movement of the edge of a plate of the earth’s
crust into the mantle beneath another plate

Subduction zone - the zone of convergence of two tectonic plates, one of which usually
overrides the other

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