The Washington Times

The Washington Times is an American daily newspaper . It is published as a broadsheet at 3600 New York Avenue NE , Washington , D.C. . The paper covers general interest topics with a particular emphasis on American politics . Its slogan is `` America 's Newspaper '' .   One of the first broadsheets in the United States to adopt color photography , its daily edition is distributed throughout the District of Columbia and sections of Maryland and Virginia . A weekly tabloid edition aimed at a national audience is also published . A typical issue includes sections for world and national news , business , politics , editorials and opinion pieces , local news , sports , entertainment , and travel . Periodically , the paper publishes large , 30 -- 40 page special sections devoted to specific policy topics that include reports and commentary from a variety of experts on the subject .   Founded on May 17 , 1982 , by Unification Church leader Sun Myung Moon , the Times was owned by News World Communications , an international media conglomerate associated with the church until 2010 , in which Moon and a group of former executives purchased the paper . It is currently owned by diversified conglomerate Operations Holdings , which is a wholly owned subsidiary of the church .


The Weather Channel

The Weather Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television channel , owned by a consortium made up of The Blackstone Group , Bain Capital , and NBCUniversal . Its headquarters are located in Atlanta , Georgia .   Launched on May 2 , 1982 , the channel broadcasts weather forecasts and weather-related news and analysis , along with documentaries and entertainment programming related to weather . A sister network , Weatherscan , is a digital cable and satellite service that offers 24-hour automated local forecasts and radar imagery .   In addition to its programming on the cable channel , TWC also provided forecasts for terrestrial and satellite radio stations , newspapers and websites , and maintained an extensive online presence at weather.com and through a set of mobile applications for smartphones and tablet computers . These services are now administered by The Weather Channel 's former parent company , The Weather Company , which was sold to IBM in 2016 . The Weather Channel continues to license its brand assets and weather data from IBM .   , The Weather Channel was received by approximately 89.7 million American households that subscribe to a pay television service ( 77.1 % of U.S. households with at least one television set ) . As recently as February 2015 , the network was the most distributed cable network in the United States with 97.3 million subscribers ( or 83.6 % of US households ) . However , it was subsequently dropped by Verizon FiOS ( losing its approximately 5.5 million subscribers ) , giving the title of most distributed network to HLN . Actual viewership of the channel averaged 210,000 during 2013 and has been declining for several years .


The Western Journal

The Western Journal, previously known as Western Journalism, is an American conservative news and political website based in Phoenix, Arizona. The site was founded by political consultant Floyd Brown in 2008.


The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)

The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy comedy-drama film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer , and the best-known and most commercially successful adaptation based on the 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum . The film stars Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale . The co-stars are Ray Bolger , Jack Haley , Bert Lahr , Frank Morgan , Billie Burke , and Margaret Hamilton , with Charley Grapewin , Pat Walshe and Clara Blandick , Terry the dog ( billed as Toto ) , and the Singer Midgets as the Munchkins .   Notable for its use of Technicolor , fantasy storytelling , musical score , and unusual characters , over the years it has become an icon of American popular culture . It was nominated for six Academy Awards , including Best Picture , but lost to Gone with the Wind . It did win in two other categories , including Best Original Song for `` Over the Rainbow '' and Best Original Score by Herbert Stothart . However , the film was a box office disappointment on its initial release , earning only $ 3,017,000 on a $ 2,777,000 budget , despite receiving largely positive reviews . It was MGM 's most expensive production to date and did not completely recoup the studio 's investment nor turn a profit until theatrical re-releases starting in 1949 .   The 1956 broadcast television premiere of the film on the CBS network reintroduced the film to the wider public and eventually made the presentation an annual tradition , making it one of the best known films in movie history . The film was named the most-viewed motion picture on television syndication by the Library of Congress , which also included the film in its National Film Registry in its inaugural year in 1989 . Designation on the registry calls for efforts to preserve it for being `` culturally , historically , and aesthetically significant '' . It is also one of the few films on UNESCO 's Memory of the World Register .   The Wizard of Oz is often ranked on best-movie lists in critics ' and public polls . It is the source of many quotes referenced in contemporary popular culture . It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming ( who left production to take over direction on the troubled Gone with the Wind production ) . Noel Langley , Florence Ryerson , and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay , but uncredited contributions were made by others . The songs were written by Edgar `` Yip '' Harburg ( lyrics ) and Harold Arlen ( music ) . The musical score and the incidental music were composed by Stothart .


Theoretical physics

Theoretical physics is a branch of physics that employs mathematical models and abstractions of physical objects and systems to rationalize , explain and predict natural phenomena . This is in contrast to experimental physics , which uses experimental tools to probe these phenomena .   The advancement of science depends in general on the interplay between experimental studies and theory . In some cases , theoretical physics adheres to standards of mathematical rigor while giving little weight to experiments and observations.There is some debate as to whether or not theoretical physics uses mathematics to build intuition and illustrativeness to extract physical insight ( especially when normal experience fails ) , rather than as a tool in formalizing theories . This links to the question of it using mathematics in a less formally rigorous , and more intuitive or heuristic way than , say , mathematical physics . For example , while developing special relativity , Albert Einstein was concerned with the Lorentz transformation which left Maxwell 's equations invariant , but was apparently uninterested in the Michelson -- Morley experiment on Earth 's drift through a luminiferous ether . Conversely , Einstein was awarded the Nobel Prize for explaining the photoelectric effect , previously an experimental result lacking a theoretical formulation .


Theory

A theory is a contemplative and rational type of abstract or generalizing thinking , or the results of such thinking . Depending on the context , the results might , for example , include generalized explanations of how nature works . The word has its roots in ancient Greek , but in modern use it has taken on several different related meanings .   Theories guide the enterprise of finding facts rather than of reaching goals , and are neutral concerning alternatives among values . A theory can be a body of knowledge , which may or may not be associated with particular explanatory models . To theorize is to develop this body of knowledge .   As already in Aristotle 's definitions , theory is very often contrasted to `` practice '' ( from Greek praxis , πρᾶξις ) a Greek term for doing , which is opposed to theory because pure theory involves no doing apart from itself . A classical example of the distinction between `` theoretical '' and `` practical '' uses the discipline of medicine : medical theory involves trying to understand the causes and nature of health and sickness , while the practical side of medicine is trying to make people healthy . These two things are related but can be independent , because it is possible to research health and sickness without curing specific patients , and it is possible to cure a patient without knowing how the cure worked .   It is possible to distinguish between three types of theories . Explanatory theory , also known as descriptive or empirical , helps to explain why and under what conditions , certain situations take place . The second type is interpretive theory or constitutive theory and this imposes meaning on events and issues with the objective to understand , instead of explaining , the world . The last one is called normative theory , also referred to as prescriptive , which prescribes values and standards of conduct : that means dealing with how the world should be instead of what it is .   In modern science , the term `` theory '' refers to scientific theories , a well-confirmed type of explanation of nature , made in a way consistent with scientific method , and fulfilling the criteria required by modern science . Such theories are described in such a way that any scientist in the field is in a position to understand and either provide empirical support ( `` verify '' ) or empirically contradict ( `` falsify '' ) it . Scientific theories are the most reliable , rigorous , and comprehensive form of scientific knowledge , in contrast to more common uses of the word `` theory '' that imply that something is unproven or speculative ( which is better characterized by the word ` hypothesis ' ) . Scientific theories are distinguished from hypotheses , which are individual empirically testable conjectures , and from scientific laws , which are descriptive accounts of how nature behaves under certain conditions .


Thermal energy storage

Thermal energy storage ( TES ) is achieved with greatly differing technologies that collectively accommodate a wide range of needs . It allows excess thermal energy to be collected for later use , hours , days or many months later , at individual building , multiuser building , district , town , or even regional scale depending on the specific technology . As examples : energy demand can be balanced between daytime and nighttime ; summer heat from solar collectors can be stored interseasonally for use in winter ; and cold obtained from winter air can be provided for summer air conditioning . Storage media include : water or ice-slush tanks ranging from small to massive , masses of native earth or bedrock accessed with heat exchangers in clusters of small-diameter boreholes ( sometimes quite deep ) ; deep aquifers contained between impermeable strata ; shallow , lined pits filled with gravel and water and top-insulated ; and eutectic , phase-change materials .   Other sources of thermal energy for storage include heat or cold produced with heat pumps from off-peak , lower cost electric power , a practice called peak shaving ; heat from combined heat and power ( CHP ) power plants ; heat produced by renewable electrical energy that exceeds grid demand and waste heat from industrial processes . Heat storage , both seasonal and short term , is considered an important means for cheaply balancing high shares of variable renewable electricity production and integration of electricity and heating sectors in energy systems almost or completely fed by renewable energy .


Thermodynamic equilibrium

Thermodynamic equilibrium is an axiomatic concept of thermodynamics . It is an internal state of a single thermodynamic system , or a relation between several thermodynamic systems connected by more or less permeable or impermeable walls . In thermodynamic equilibrium there are no net macroscopic flows of matter or of energy , either within a system or between systems . In a system in its own state of internal thermodynamic equilibrium , no macroscopic change occurs . Systems in mutual thermodynamic equilibrium are simultaneously in mutual thermal , mechanical , chemical , and radiative equilibria . Systems can be in one kind of mutual equilibrium , though not in others . In thermodynamic equilibrium , all kinds of equilibrium hold at once and indefinitely , until disturbed by a thermodynamic operation . In a macroscopic equilibrium , almost or perfectly exactly balanced microscopic exchanges occur ; this is the physical explanation of the notion of macroscopic equilibrium .   A thermodynamic system in its own state of internal thermodynamic equilibrium has a spatially uniform temperature . Its intensive properties , other than temperature , may be driven to spatial inhomogeneity by an unchanging long range force field imposed on it by its surroundings .   In non-equilibrium systems , by contrast , there are net flows of matter or energy . If such changes can be triggered to occur in a system in which they are not already occurring , it is said to be in a metastable equilibrium .   Though it is not a widely named law , it is an axiom of thermodynamics that there exist states of thermodynamic equilibrium . The second law of thermodynamics states that when a body of material starts from an equilibrium state , in which portions of it are held at different states by more or less permeable or impermeable partitions , and a thermodynamic operation removes or makes the partitions more permeable and it is isolated , then it spontaneously reaches its own new state of internal thermodynamic equilibrium , and this is accompanied by an increase in the sum of the entropies of the portions .


Thermodynamic temperature

Thermodynamic temperature is the absolute measure of temperature and is one of the principal parameters of thermodynamics .   Thermodynamic temperature is defined by the third law of thermodynamics in which the theoretically lowest temperature is the null or zero point . At this point , absolute zero , the particle constituents of matter have minimal motion and can become no colder . In the quantum-mechanical description , matter at absolute zero is in its ground state , which is its state of lowest energy . Thermodynamic temperature is often also called absolute temperature , for two reasons : one , proposed by Kelvin , that it does not depend on the properties of a particular material ; two that it refers to an absolute zero according to the properties of the ideal gas .   The International System of Units specifies a particular scale for thermodynamic temperature . It uses the kelvin scale for measurement and selects the triple point of water at 273.16 K as the fundamental fixing point . Other scales have been in use historically . The Rankine scale , using the degree Fahrenheit as its unit interval , is still in use as part of the English Engineering Units in the United States in some engineering fields . ITS-90 gives a practical means of estimating the thermodynamic temperature to a very high degree of accuracy .   Roughly , the temperature of a body at rest is a measure of the mean of the energy of the translational , vibrational and rotational motions of matter 's particle constituents , such as molecules , atoms , and subatomic particles . The full variety of these kinetic motions , along with potential energies of particles , and also occasionally certain other types of particle energy in equilibrium with these , make up the total internal energy of a substance . Internal energy is loosely called the heat energy or thermal energy in conditions when no work is done upon the substance by its surroundings , or by the substance upon the surroundings . Internal energy may be stored in a number of ways within a substance , each way constituting a `` degree of freedom '' . At equilibrium , each degree of freedom will have on average the same energy : where is the Boltzmann constant , unless that degree of freedom is in the quantum regime . The internal degrees of freedom ( rotation , vibration , etc. ) may be in the quantum regime at room temperature , but the translational degrees of freedom will be in the classical regime except at extremely low temperatures ( fractions of kelvins ) and it may be said that , for most situations , the thermodynamic temperature is specified by the average translational kinetic energy of the particles .


Thermodynamics

Thermodynamics is a branch of physics concerned with heat and temperature and their relation to energy and work . The behavior of these quantities is governed by the four laws of thermodynamics , irrespective of the composition or specific properties of the material or system in question . The laws of thermodynamics are explained in terms of microscopic constituents by statistical mechanics . Thermodynamics applies to a wide variety of topics in science and engineering , especially physical chemistry , chemical engineering and mechanical engineering .   Historically , thermodynamics developed out of a desire to increase the efficiency of early steam engines , particularly through the work of French physicist Nicolas Léonard Sadi Carnot ( 1824 ) who believed that engine efficiency was the key that could help France win the Napoleonic Wars . Scottish physicist Lord Kelvin was the first to formulate a concise definition of thermodynamics in 1854 which stated , `` Thermo-dynamics is the subject of the relation of heat to forces acting between contiguous parts of bodies , and the relation of heat to electrical agency . ''   The initial application of thermodynamics to mechanical heat engines was extended early on to the study of chemical compounds and chemical reactions . Chemical thermodynamics studies the nature of the role of entropy in the process of chemical reactions and has provided the bulk of expansion and knowledge of the field . Other formulations of thermodynamics emerged in the following decades . Statistical thermodynamics , or statistical mechanics , concerned itself with statistical predictions of the collective motion of particles from their microscopic behavior . In 1909 , Constantin Carathéodory presented a purely mathematical approach to the field in his axiomatic formulation of thermodynamics , a description often referred to as geometrical thermodynamics .


Thermohaline circulation

Thermohaline circulation ( THC ) is a part of the large-scale ocean circulation that is driven by global density gradients created by surface heat and freshwater fluxes . The adjective thermohaline derives from thermo - referring to temperature and referring to salt content , factors which together determine the density of sea water . Wind-driven surface currents ( such as the Gulf Stream ) travel polewards from the equatorial Atlantic Ocean , cooling en route , and eventually sinking at high latitudes ( forming North Atlantic Deep Water ) . This dense water then flows into the ocean basins . While the bulk of it upwells in the Southern Ocean , the oldest waters ( with a transit time of around 1000 years ) upwell in the North Pacific . Extensive mixing therefore takes place between the ocean basins , reducing differences between them and making the Earth 's oceans a global system . On their journey , the water masses transport both energy ( in the form of heat ) and matter ( solids , dissolved substances and gases ) around the globe . As such , the state of the circulation has a large impact on the climate of the Earth .   The thermohaline circulation is sometimes called the ocean conveyor belt , the great ocean conveyor , or the global conveyor belt . On occasion , it is used to refer to the meridional overturning circulation ( often abbreviated as MOC ) . The term MOC is more accurate and well defined , as it is difficult to separate the part of the circulation which is driven by temperature and salinity alone as opposed to other factors such as the wind and tidal forces . Moreover , temperature and salinity gradients can also lead to circulation effects that are not included in the MOC itself .


They

They is the third-person plural personal pronoun ( subjective case ) in Modern English . It can also be used with singular meaning , particularly in informal contexts , sometimes to avoid specifying the gender of the person referred to .


Thirty Years' War

The Thirty Years ' War was a series of wars in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648 . It was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history , as well as the deadliest European religious war , resulting in eight million casualties .   Initially a war between various Protestant and Catholic states in the fragmented Holy Roman Empire , it gradually developed into a more general conflict involving most of the great powers . These states employed relatively large mercenary armies , and the war became less about religion and more of a continuation of the France -- Habsburg rivalry for European political pre-eminence . In the 17th century , religious beliefs and practices were a much larger influence on an average European than they are today . During that era , almost everyone was vested on one side of the dispute or another , which was also closely tied to people 's ethnicities and loyalties , as religious beliefs affected ideas of the legitimacy of the political status of rulers .   The war was preceded by the election of the new Holy Roman Emperor , Ferdinand II , who tried to impose religious uniformity on his domains , forcing Roman Catholicism on its peoples . The northern Protestant states , angered by the violation of their rights to choose that had been granted in the Peace of Augsburg , banded together to form the Protestant Union . Ferdinand II was a devout Roman Catholic and relatively intolerant when compared to his predecessor , Rudolf II , who ruled from Protestant Prague . Ferdinand 's policies were considered strongly pro-Catholic .   These events caused widespread fears throughout northern and central Europe , and triggered the Protestant Bohemians living in the then relatively loose dominion of Habsburg Austria to revolt against their nominal ruler , Ferdinand II . After the so-called Prague Defenestration deposed the emperor 's representatives in Prague , the Protestant estates and Catholic Habsburgs started gathering allies for war . They ousted the Habsburgs and elected the Calvinist Frederick V , Elector of the Rhenish Palatinate as the new king of the Kingdom of Bohemia . Frederick took the offer without the support of the union . The southern states , mainly Roman Catholic , were angered by this . Led by Bavaria , these states formed the Catholic League to expel Frederick in support of the Emperor . The Empire soon crushed this perceived rebellion in the Battle of White Mountain , executing leading Czech aristocrats shortly after . The Protestant world condemned the Emperor 's action .   After the atrocities committed in Bohemia , Saxony finally gave its support to the union and decided to fight back . Sweden , at the time a major military power , soon intervened in 1630 under its king Gustavus Adolphus , transforming what had been simply the Emperor 's attempt to curb the Protestant states into a full-scale war in Europe . Spain , wishing to finally crush the Dutch rebels in the Netherlands and the Dutch Republic , intervened under the pretext of helping its dynastic Habsburg ally , Austria . No longer able to tolerate the encirclement of two major Habsburg powers on its borders , Catholic France entered the coalition on the side of the Protestants in order to counter the Habsburgs .   The Thirty Years ' War devastated entire regions , with famine and disease resulting in high mortality in the populations of the German and Italian states , the Crown of Bohemia , and the Southern Netherlands . Both mercenaries and soldiers in fighting armies traditionally looted or extorted tribute to get operating funds , which imposed severe hardships on the inhabitants of occupied territories . The war also bankrupted most of the combatant powers .   The Dutch Republic enjoyed contrasting fortune ; it ended its revolt against Spain in 1648 and subsequently enjoyed a time of great prosperity and development , known as the Dutch Golden Age , during which it became one of the world 's foremost economic and naval powers . The Thirty Years ' War ended with the treaties of Osnabrück and Münster , part of the wider Peace of Westphalia . The war altered the previous political order of European powers . The rise of Bourbon France , the curtailing of Habsburg ambition , and the ascendancy of Sweden as a great power created a new balance of power on the continent , with France emerging from the war strengthened and increasingly dominant in the latter part of the 17th century .


Thomas Kuhn

Thomas Samuel Kuhn ( -LSB- ˈkuːn -RSB- July 18 , 1922 -- June 17 , 1996 ) was an American physicist , historian and philosopher of science whose controversial 1962 book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions was influential in both academic and popular circles , introducing the term paradigm shift , which has since become an English-language idiom .   Kuhn made several notable claims concerning the progress of scientific knowledge : that scientific fields undergo periodic `` paradigm shifts '' rather than solely progressing in a linear and continuous way , and that these paradigm shifts open up new approaches to understanding what scientists would never have considered valid before ; and that the notion of scientific truth , at any given moment , can not be established solely by objective criteria but is defined by a consensus of a scientific community . Competing paradigms are frequently incommensurable ; that is , they are competing and irreconcilable accounts of reality . Thus , our comprehension of science can never rely wholly upon `` objectivity '' alone . Science must account for subjective perspectives as well , since all objective conclusions are ultimately founded upon the subjective conditioning/worldview of its researchers and participants .


Three Mile Island accident

The Three Mile Island accident was caused by a nuclear meltdown that occurred on March 28 , 1979 , in reactor number 2 of Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station ( TMI-2 ) in Dauphin County , Pennsylvania , United States . It was the most significant accident in U.S. commercial nuclear power plant history . The incident was rated a five on the seven-point International Nuclear Event Scale : Accident With Wider Consequences .   The accident began with failures in the non-nuclear secondary system , followed by a stuck-open pilot-operated relief valve in the primary system , which allowed large amounts of nuclear reactor coolant to escape . The mechanical failures were compounded by the initial failure of plant operators to recognize the situation as a loss-of-coolant accident due to inadequate training and human factors , such as human-computer interaction design oversights relating to ambiguous control room indicators in the power plant 's user interface . In particular , a hidden indicator light led to an operator manually overriding the automatic emergency cooling system of the reactor because the operator mistakenly believed that there was too much coolant water present in the reactor and causing the steam pressure release .   The accident crystallized anti-nuclear safety concerns among activists and the general public , resulted in new regulations for the nuclear industry , and has been cited as a contributor to the decline of a new reactor construction program that was already underway in the 1970s . The partial meltdown resulted in the release of radioactive gases and radioactive iodine into the environment . Worries were expressed by anti-nuclear movement activists ; however , epidemiological studies analyzing the rate of cancer in and around the area since the accident , determined there was a small statistically non-significant increase in the rate and thus no causal connection linking the accident with these cancers has been substantiated . Cleanup started in August 1979 , and officially ended in December 1993 , with a total cleanup cost of about $ 1 billion .


Thunderstorm

A thunderstorm , also known as an electrical storm , lightning storm , or thundershower , is a storm characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth 's atmosphere , known as thunder . Thunderstorms occur in association with a type of cloud known as a cumulonimbus . They are usually accompanied by strong winds , heavy rain , and sometimes snow , sleet , hail , or , in contrast , no precipitation at all . Thunderstorms may line up in a series or become a rainband , known as a squall line . Strong or severe thunderstorms , known as supercells , rotate as do cyclones . While most thunderstorms move with the mean wind flow through the layer of the troposphere that they occupy , vertical wind shear sometimes causes a deviation in their course at a right angle to the wind shear direction .   Thunderstorms result from the rapid upward movement of warm , moist air , sometimes along a front . As the warm , moist air moves upward , it cools , condenses , and forms a cumulonimbus cloud that can reach heights of over 20 km . As the rising air reaches its dew point temperature , water vapor condenses into water droplets or ice , reducing pressure locally within the thunderstorm cell . Any precipitation falls the long distance through the clouds towards the Earth 's surface . As the droplets fall , they collide with other droplets and become larger . The falling droplets create a downdraft as it pulls cold air with it , and this cold air spreads out at the Earth 's surface , occasionally causing strong winds that are commonly associated with thunderstorms .   Thunderstorms can form and develop in any geographic location but most frequently within the mid-latitude , where warm , moist air from tropical latitudes collides with cooler air from polar latitudes . Thunderstorms are responsible for the development and formation of many severe weather phenomena . Thunderstorms , and the phenomena that occur along with them , pose great hazards . Damage that results from thunderstorms is mainly inflicted by downburst winds , large hailstones , and flash flooding caused by heavy precipitation . Stronger thunderstorm cells are capable of producing tornadoes and waterspouts .   There are four types of thunderstorms : single-cell , multi-cell cluster , multi-cell lines , and supercells . Supercell thunderstorms are the strongest and the most associated with severe weather phenomena . Mesoscale convective systems formed by favorable vertical wind shear within the tropics and subtropics can be responsible for the development of hurricanes . Dry thunderstorms , with no precipitation , can cause the outbreak of wildfires from the heat generated from the cloud-to-ground lightning that accompanies them . Several means are used to study thunderstorms : weather radar , weather stations , and video photography . Past civilizations held various myths concerning thunderstorms and their development as late as the 18th century . Beyond the Earth 's atmosphere , thunderstorms have also been observed on the planets of Jupiter , Saturn , Neptune , and , probably , Venus .


Tibetan calendar

The Tibetan calendar is a lunisolar calendar , that is , the Tibetan year is composed of either 12 or 13 lunar months , each beginning and ending with a new moon . A thirteenth month is added every two or three years , so that an average Tibetan year is equal to the solar year .   The Tibetan New Year celebration is Losar . According to almanacs the year starts with the third Hor month . There were many different traditions in Tibet to fix the beginning of the year . The dates of Mongolian calendar are all the same with it .


Tide

Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon and the Sun and the rotation of the Earth .   The times and amplitude of tides at any given locale are influenced by the alignment of the Sun and Moon , by the pattern of tides in the deep ocean , by the amphidromic systems of the oceans , and the shape of the coastline and near-shore bathymetry ( see Timing ) . Some shorelines experience a semi-diurnal tide -- two nearly equal high and low tides each day . Other locations experience a diurnal tide -- only one high and low tide each day . A `` mixed tide '' -- two uneven tides a day , or one high and one low -- is also possible .   Tides vary on timescales ranging from hours to years due to a number of factors . To make accurate records , tide gauges at fixed stations measure water level over time . Gauges ignore variations caused by waves with periods shorter than minutes . These data are compared to the reference ( or datum ) level usually called mean sea level .   While tides are usually the largest source of short-term sea-level fluctuations , sea levels are also subject to forces such as wind and barometric pressure changes , resulting in storm surges , especially in shallow seas and near coasts .   Tidal phenomena are not limited to the oceans , but can occur in other systems whenever a gravitational field that varies in time and space is present . For example , the solid part of the Earth is affected by tides , though this is not as easily seen as the water tidal movements .


Tide gauge

A tide gauge ( also known as mareograph or marigraph , as well as sea-level recorder ) is a device for measuring the change in sea level relative to a datum .   Sensors continuously record the height of the water level with respect to a height reference surface close to the geoid . Water enters the device by the bottom pipe ( far end of the tube , see picture ) , and electronic sensors measure its height and send the data to a tiny computer .   Historical data are available for about 1,450 stations worldwide , of which about 950 provided updates to the global data center since January 2010 . At some places records cover centuries , for example in Amsterdam where data dating back to 1700 is available . When it comes to estimating the greater ocean picture , new modern tide gauges can often be improved upon by using satellite data .   Tide gauges are used to measure tides and quantify the size of tsunamis .  The measurements make it possible to derive the mean sea level . Using this method , sea level slopes up to several 0.1 m/1000 km and more have been detected .   A tsunami can be detected when the sea level begins to rise , although warnings from seismic activity can be more useful .


Tide pool

Tide pools , or rock pools , are rocky pools on the sea shore which are filled with seawater . Many of these pools exist as separate pools only at low tide .   Many tide pools are habitats of especially adaptable animals that have engaged the attention of naturalists and marine biologists , as well as philosophical essayists : John Steinbeck wrote in The Log from the Sea of Cortez , `` It is advisable to look from the tide pool to the stars and then back to the tide pool . ''


Tincture (heraldry)

Tinctures constitute the limited palette of colours and patterns used in heraldry . The use of these tinctures dates back to the formative period of European heraldry , in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries , but the range of tinctures and the manner of depicting and describing them has evolved over time , as new variations and practices have developed . The need to define , depict , and correctly blazon the various tinctures is therefore one of the most important aspects of heraldic art and design .


Tipping points in the climate system

A tipping point in the climate system is a threshold that, when exceeded, can lead to large changes in the state of the system. Potential tipping points have been identified in the physical climate system, in impacted ecosystems, and sometimes in both. For instance, feedback from the global carbon cycle is a driver for the transition between glacial and interglacial periods, with orbital forcing providing the initial trigger. Earth's geologic temperature record includes many more examples of geologically rapid transitions between different climate states.Climate tipping points are of particular interest in reference to concerns about global warming in the modern era. Possible tipping point behaviour has been identified for the global mean surface temperature by studying self-reinforcing feedbacks and the past behavior of Earth's climate system. Self-reinforcing feedbacks in the carbon cycle and planetary reflectivity could trigger a cascading set of tipping points that lead the world into a hothouse climate state.Large-scale components of the Earth system that may pass a tipping point have been referred to as tipping elements. Tipping elements are found in the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, possibly causing tens of meters of sea level rise. These tipping points are not always abrupt. For example, at some level of temperature rise the melt of a large part of the Greenland ice sheet and/or West Antarctic Ice Sheet will become inevitable; but the ice sheet itself may persist for many centuries. Some tipping elements, like the collapse of ecosystems, are irreversible.


Titan (moon)

Titan is the largest moon of Saturn . It is the only moon known to have a dense atmosphere , and the only object in space other than Earth where clear evidence of stable bodies of surface liquid has been found .   Titan is the sixth ellipsoidal moon from Saturn . Frequently described as a planet-like moon , Titan is 50 % larger than Earth 's Moon , and it is 80 % more massive . It is the second-largest moon in the Solar System , after Jupiter 's moon Ganymede , and is larger than the smallest planet , Mercury , but only 40 % as massive . Discovered in 1655 by the Dutch astronomer Christiaan Huygens , Titan was the first known moon of Saturn , and the sixth known planetary satellite ( after Earth 's Moon and the four Galilean moons of Jupiter ) . Titan orbits Saturn at 20 Saturn radii . From Titan 's surface , Saturn subtends an arc of 5.09 degrees and would appear 11.4 times larger in the sky than the Moon from Earth .   Titan is primarily composed of water ice and rocky material . Much as with Venus before the Space Age , the dense opaque atmosphere prevented understanding of Titan 's surface until new information from the Cassini -- Huygens mission in 2004 , including the discovery of liquid hydrocarbon lakes in Titan 's polar regions . The geologically young surface is generally smooth , with few impact craters , although mountains and several possible cryovolcanoes have been found .   The atmosphere of Titan is largely nitrogen ; minor components lead to the formation of methane and ethane clouds and nitrogen-rich organic smog . The climate -- including wind and rain -- creates surface features similar to those of Earth , such as dunes , rivers , lakes , seas ( probably of liquid methane and ethane ) , and deltas , and is dominated by seasonal weather patterns as on Earth . With its liquids ( both surface and subsurface ) and robust nitrogen atmosphere , Titan 's methane cycle is analogous to Earth 's water cycle , at the much lower temperature of about 94 K.


Tony Abbott

Anthony John `` Tony '' Abbott ( born 4 November 1957 ) is an Australian politician who was the 28th Prime Minister of Australia , from 18 September 2013 to 15 September 2015 . Abbott was leader of the Liberal Party of Australia from 2009 to 2015 , and has been a member of parliament for Warringah since 1994 .   Abbott was born in London , to an Australian mother and a British father , and emigrated to Sydney , Australia , with his parents in 1960 . Prior to entering Parliament , Abbott took the degrees of Bachelor of Economics and Bachelor of Laws at the University of Sydney , then attended The Queen 's College , Oxford , as a Rhodes Scholar , graduating as a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy , Politics and Economics . He later proceeded by seniority to Master of Arts .   After graduating from Oxford , Abbott trained as a Roman Catholic seminarian , and later worked as a journalist , a manager , and a political adviser . In 1992 , he was appointed Director of Australians for Constitutional Monarchy , a position he held until his election to Parliament in 1994 . Abbott was first appointed to Cabinet following the 1998 election , as part of the Second Howard Ministry , becoming Minister for Employment , Workplace Relations and Small Business .   In 2003 , Abbott became Minister for Health and Ageing , retaining this position until the defeat of the Howard Government at the 2007 election . Initially serving in the Shadow Cabinets of Brendan Nelson and then Malcolm Turnbull , Abbott resigned from the front bench in November 2009 , in protest against Turnbull 's support for the Rudd Government 's proposed Emissions Trading Scheme ( ETS ) . Forcing a leadership ballot on the subject , Abbott defeated Turnbull by 42 votes to 41 , to become the Party 's leader and Leader of the Opposition .   Abbott led the Coalition at the 2010 election , which resulted in a hung parliament . Following negotiations , Labor formed a Government , with the support of one Greens MP and three Independent MPs . Abbott was re-elected as Liberal Leader unopposed . Abbott went on to lead the Coalition to victory in the 2013 election and was sworn in as the 28th Prime Minister of Australia on 18 September 2013 . On 14 September 2015 , Abbott was defeated in a vote for the Liberal leadership ( 54 votes to 44 ) by Malcolm Turnbull , who replaced Abbott as Prime Minister the following day .


Toy Story

Toy Story is a 1995 American computer-animated buddy comedy adventure film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures . The directorial debut of John Lasseter , Toy Story was the first feature-length computer-animated film and the first theatrical film produced by Pixar .   Taking place in a world where anthropomorphic toys pretend to be lifeless whenever humans are present , the film 's plot focuses on the relationship between Woody , an old-fashioned pullstring cowboy doll ( voiced by Tom Hanks ) , and Buzz Lightyear , an astronaut action figure ( voiced by Tim Allen ) , as they evolve from rivals competing for the affections of Andy , their owner , to friends who work together to be reunited with Andy as his family prepares to move to a new home . The screenplay was written by Joss Whedon , Andrew Stanton , Joel Cohen and Alec Sokolow , based on a story by Lasseter , Pete Docter , Stanton and Joe Ranft . The film features music by Randy Newman , and was executive-produced by Steve Jobs and Edwin Catmull .   Pixar , which produced short animated films to promote their computers , was approached by Disney to produce a computer-animated feature after the success of their short film Tin Toy ( 1988 ) , which is told from a small toy 's perspective . Lasseter , Stanton and Docter wrote early story treatments which were thrown out by Disney , as they wanted the film to be edgier . After disastrous story reels , production was halted and the script was re-written , better reflecting the tone and theme Pixar desired : that `` toys deeply want children to play with them , and that this desire drives their hopes , fears , and actions '' . The studio , then consisting of a relatively small number of employees , produced the film under minor financial constraints .   Released in theaters on November 22 , 1995 , Toy Story was the highest-grossing film on its opening weekend and earned over $ 373 million worldwide . The film was widely acclaimed by critics , who praised the animation 's technical innovation , the wit and thematic sophistication of the screenplay , and the performances of Hanks and Allen . It is now considered by many critics to be one of the best animated films ever made . The film received three Academy Award nominations , including Best Original Screenplay , Best Original Score , and Best Original Song for `` You 've Got a Friend in Me '' , as well as winning a Special Achievement Academy Award . It was inducted into the National Film Registry as being `` culturally , historically , or aesthetically significant '' in 2005 , its first year of eligibility .   In addition to home media releases and theatrical re-releases , Toy Story-inspired material has run the gamut from toys , video games , theme park attractions , spin-offs , merchandise , and two sequels -- Toy Story 2 ( 1999 ) and Toy Story 3 ( 2010 ) -- both of which also garnered massive commercial success and critical acclaim , with a third sequel , Toy Story 4 , slated for a 2019 release .


Triage

Triage ( -LSB- ˈtriːɑːʒ -RSB- or / -LSB- triːˈɑːʒ -RSB- / ) is the process of determining the priority of patients ' treatments based on the severity of their condition . This rations patient treatment efficiently when resources are insufficient for all to be treated immediately . The term comes from the French verb trier , meaning to separate , sift or select . Triage may result in determining the order and priority of emergency treatment , the order and priority of emergency transport , or the transport destination for the patient .   Triage may also be used for patients arriving at the emergency department , or telephoning medical advice systems , among others . This article deals with the concept of triage as it occurs in medical emergencies , including the prehospital setting , disasters , and emergency room treatment .   The term triage may have originated during the Napoleonic Wars from the work of Dominique Jean Larrey . The term was used further during World War I by French doctors treating the battlefield wounded at the aid stations behind the front . Those responsible for the removal of the wounded from a battlefield or their care afterwards would divide the victims into three categories :  Those who are likely to live , regardless of what care they receive ;  Those who are unlikely to live , regardless of what care they receive ;  Those for whom immediate care might make a positive difference in outcome .   For many emergency medical services ( EMS ) systems , a similar model may sometimes still be applied . In the earliest stages of an incident , such as when one or two paramedics exist to twenty or more patients , practicality demands that the above , more `` primitive '' model will be used . However once a full response has occurred and many hands are available , paramedics will usually use the model included in their service policy and standing orders .   As medical technology has advanced , so have modern approaches to triage , which are increasingly based on scientific models . The categorizations of the victims are frequently the result of triage scores based on specific physiological assessment findings . Some models , such as the START model may be algorithm-based . As triage concepts become more sophisticated , triage guidance is also evolving into both software and hardware decision support products for use by caregivers in both hospitals and the field .


Triassic

The Triassic ( -LSB- prontraɪˈæsɪk -RSB- ) is a geologic period and system which spans 50.9 million years from the end of the Permian Period million years ago ( Mya ) , to the beginning of the Jurassic Period Mya . The Triassic is the first period of the Mesozoic Era . Both the start and end of the period are marked by major extinction events .   The Triassic began in the wake of the Permian -- Triassic extinction event , which left the earth 's biosphere impoverished ; it would take well into the middle of this period for life to recover its former diversity . Therapsids and archosaurs were the chief terrestrial vertebrates during this time . A specialized subgroup of archosaurs , called dinosaurs , first appeared in the Late Triassic but did not become dominant until the succeeding Jurassic Period .   The first true mammals , themselves a specialized subgroup of Therapsids , also evolved during this period , as well as the first flying vertebrates , the pterosaurs , who like the dinosaurs were a specialized subgroup of archosaurs . The vast supercontinent of Pangaea existed until the mid-Triassic , after which it began to gradually rift into two separate landmasses , Laurasia to the north and Gondwana to the south .   The global climate during the Triassic was mostly hot and dry , with deserts spanning much of Pangaea 's interior . However , the climate shifted and became more humid as Pangaea began to drift apart . The end of the period was marked by yet another major mass extinction , the Triassic-Jurassic extinction event , that wiped out many groups and allowed dinosaurs to assume dominance in the Jurassic .   The Triassic was named in 1834 by Friedrich von Alberti , after the three distinct rock layers ( tri meaning `` three '' ) that are found throughout Germany and northwestern Europe -- red beds , capped by marine limestone , followed by a series of terrestrial mud - and sandstones -- called the `` Trias '' .


Triassic–Jurassic extinction event

The Triassic -- Jurassic extinction event marks the boundary between the Triassic and Jurassic periods , , and is one of the major extinction events of the Phanerozoic eon , profoundly affecting life on land and in the oceans . In the seas , a whole class ( conodonts ) and 34 % of marine genera disappeared . On land , all archosaurs other than crocodylomorphs ( Sphenosuchia and Crocodyliformes ) and Avemetatarsalia ( pterosaurs and dinosaurs ) , some remaining therapsids , and many of the large amphibians became extinct .


Triton (moon)

Triton is the largest natural satellite of the planet Neptune . It was discovered on October 10 , 1846 , by English astronomer William Lassell . It is the only large moon in the Solar System with a retrograde orbit , an orbit in the opposite direction to its planet 's rotation . At 2700 km in diameter , it is the seventh-largest moon in the Solar System . Because of its retrograde orbit and composition similar to Pluto 's , Triton is thought to have been a dwarf planet captured from the Kuiper belt . Triton has a surface of mostly frozen nitrogen , a mostly water-ice crust , an icy mantle and a substantial core of rock and metal . The core makes up two-thirds of its total mass . Triton has a mean density of 2.061 g/cm3 and is composed of approximately 15 -- 35 % water ice .   Triton is one of the few moons in the Solar System known to be geologically active ( the others being Jupiter 's Io and Saturn 's Enceladus ) . As a consequence , its surface is relatively young with sparse impact craters , and a complex geological history revealed in intricate cryovolcanic and tectonic terrains . Part of its surface has geysers erupting sublimated nitrogen gas , contributing to a tenuous nitrogen atmosphere less than 1/70 ,000 the pressure of Earth 's atmosphere at sea level .


Trophic cascade

Trophic cascades occur when predators in a food web suppress the abundance or alter the behavior of their prey , thereby releasing the next lower trophic level from predation ( or herbivory if the intermediate trophic level is a herbivore ) . For example , if the abundance of large piscivorous fish is increased in a lake , the abundance of their prey , smaller fish that eat zooplankton , should decrease . The resulting increase in zooplankton should , in turn , cause the biomass of its prey , phytoplankton , to decrease .   The trophic cascade is an ecological concept which has stimulated new research in many areas of ecology . For example , it can be important for understanding the knock-on effects of removing top predators from food webs , as humans have done in many places through hunting and fishing .   A top-down cascade is a trophic cascade where the food chain or food web is disrupted by the removal of a top predator , or a third or fourth level consumer . On the other hand , a bottom-up cascade occurs when a primary producer , or primary consumer is removed , and there is a reduction of population size through the community .


Tropical cyclone

A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center , a closed low-level atmospheric circulation , strong winds , and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain . Depending on its location and strength , a tropical cyclone is referred to by names such as hurricane ( -LSB- ˈhʌrᵻkən -RSB- or -LSB- ˈhʌrᵻkeɪn -RSB- ) , typhoon -LSB- taɪ ` fuːn -RSB- , tropical storm , cyclonic storm , tropical depression , and simply cyclone . A hurricane is a storm that occurs in the Atlantic Ocean and northeastern Pacific Ocean , a typhoon occurs in the northwestern Pacific Ocean , and a cyclone occurs in the south Pacific or Indian Ocean .   Tropical cyclones typically form over large bodies of relatively warm water . They derive their energy through the evaporation of water from the ocean surface , which ultimately recondenses into clouds and rain when moist air rises and cools to saturation . This energy source differs from that of mid-latitude cyclonic storms , such as nor'easter s and European windstorms , which are fueled primarily by horizontal temperature contrasts . The strong rotating winds of a tropical cyclone are a result of the conservation of angular momentum imparted by the Earth 's rotation as air flows inwards toward the axis of rotation . As a result , they rarely form within 5 ° of the equator . Tropical cyclones are typically between 100 and in diameter .   Tropical refers to the geographical origin of these systems , which form almost exclusively over tropical seas . Cyclone refers to their cyclonic nature , with wind blowing counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere . The opposite direction of circulation is due to the Coriolis effect .   In addition to strong winds and rain , tropical cyclones are capable of generating high waves , damaging storm surge , and tornadoes . They typically weaken rapidly over land where they are cut off from their primary energy source . For this reason , coastal regions are particularly vulnerable to damage from a tropical cyclone as compared to inland regions . Heavy rains , however , can cause significant flooding inland , and storm surges can produce extensive coastal flooding up to 40 km from the coastline . Though their effects on human populations are often devastating , tropical cyclones can relieve drought conditions . They also carry heat energy away from the tropics and transport it toward temperate latitudes , which may play an important role in modulating regional and global climate .


Tropical monsoon climate

A Tropical monsoon climate , occasionally known as a tropical wet climate or a tropical monsoon and trade-wind littoral climate , is a type of climate that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification category `` Am '' .   Tropical monsoon climates have monthly mean temperatures above 18 ° C in every month of the year and feature wet and dry seasons , as Tropical savanna climates do . Tropical monsoon climates however features its driest month seeing on average less than 60 mm but more than 100 -- -LSB- total annual precipitation -LCB- mm -RCB- / 25 -RSB- of precipitation . This latter fact is in direct contrast to a tropical savanna climate , whose driest month sees less than 60 mm of precipitation and also less than 100 -- -LSB- total annual precipitation -LCB- mm -RCB- / 25 -RSB- of precipitation . In essence , a tropical monsoon climate tends to either see more rainfall than a tropical savanna climate or have less pronounced dry seasons . Additionally , a tropical monsoon climate tends to see less variance in temperatures during the course of the year than a tropical savanna climate . This climate has a driest month which nearly always occurs at or soon after the `` winter '' solstice for that side of the equator .


Tropical rainforest

Tropical rainforests occur in areas of tropical rainforest climate in which there is no dry season -- all months have an average precipitation of at least 60 mm -- and may also be referred to as lowland equatorial evergreen rainforest . True rainforests are typically found between 10 degrees north and south of the equator ( see map ) ; they are a sub-set of the tropical forest biome that occurs roughly within the 28 degree latitudes ( in the equatorial zone between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn ) . Within the World Wildlife Fund 's biome classification , tropical rainforests are a type of tropical moist broadleaf forest ( or tropical wet forest ) that also includes the more extensive tropical seasonal forests .


Tropical savanna climate

Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a type of climate that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories `` Aw '' and `` As '' .  Tropical savanna climates have monthly mean temperatures above 18 ° C in every month of the year and typically a pronounced dry season , with the driest month having precipitation less than 60 mm and also less than 100 -- -LSB- total annual precipitation -LCB- mm -RCB- / 25 -RSB- of precipitation . This latter fact is in direct contrast to a tropical monsoon climate , whose driest month sees less than 60 mm of precipitation but has more than 100 -- -LSB- total annual precipitation -LCB- mm -RCB- / 25 -RSB- of precipitation . In essence , a tropical savanna climate tends to either see less rainfall than a tropical monsoon climate or have more pronounced dry seasons .   There are generally four types of tropical savanna climate :   1 . Distinct wet and dry seasons of relatively equal duration . Most of the region 's annual rainfall is experienced during the wet season and very little precipitation falls during the dry season .  2 . A lengthy dry season and a relatively short wet season . This version features seven or more dry season months and five or less wet season months . There are variations within this version :  On one extreme , the region receives just enough precipitation during the short wet season to preclude it from a semi-arid climate classification . This drier variation of the tropical savanna climate is typically found adjacent to regions with semi-arid climates .  On the other extreme , the climate features a lengthy dry season followed by a short but extremely rainy wet season . However , regions with this variation of the climate do not experience enough rainfall during the wet season to qualify as a tropical monsoon climate .  3 . A lengthy wet season and a relatively short dry season . This version features seven or more wet season months and five or less dry season months . This version 's precipitation pattern is similar to precipitation patterns observed in some tropical monsoon climates , but does not experience enough rainfall during the wet season to be classified as such .  4 . A dry season with a noticeable amount of rainfall followed by a rainy wet season . In essence , this version mimics the precipitation patterns more commonly found in a tropical monsoon climate , but do not receive enough precipitation during either the dry season or the year to be classified as such .


Tropical year

A tropical year ( also known as a solar year ) , for general purposes , is the time that the Sun takes to return to the same position in the cycle of seasons , as seen from Earth ; for example , the time from vernal equinox to vernal equinox , or from summer solstice to summer solstice . Because of the precession of the equinoxes , the seasonal cycle does not remain exactly synchronized with the position of the Earth in its orbit around the Sun . As a consequence , the tropical year is about 20 minutes shorter than the time it takes Earth to complete one full orbit around the Sun as measured with respect to the fixed stars ( the sidereal year ) .   Since antiquity , astronomers have progressively refined the definition of the tropical year . The entry for `` year , tropical '' in the Astronomical Almanac Online Glossary 2015 states :   the period of time for the ecliptic longitude of the Sun to increase 360 degrees . Since the Sun 's ecliptic longitude is measured with respect to the equinox , the tropical year comprises a complete cycle of seasons , and its length is approximated in the long term by the civil ( Gregorian ) calendar . The mean tropical year is approximately 365 days , 5 hours , 48 minutes , 45 seconds .   An equivalent , more descriptive , definition is `` The natural basis for computing passing tropical years is the mean longitude of the Sun reckoned from the precessionally moving equinox ( the dynamical equinox or equinox of date ) . Whenever the longitude reaches a multiple of 360 degrees the mean Sun crosses the vernal equinox and a new tropical year begins '' . ( Borkowski 1991 , p. 122 )   The mean tropical year in 2000 was 365.24219 ephemeris days ; each ephemeris day lasting 86,400 SI seconds . This is 365.24217 mean solar days . ( Richards , 2013 , p. 587 )


Tropics

The tropics are a region of the Earth surrounding the equator . They are delimited in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in  the Southern Hemisphere at S ; these latitudes correspond to the axial tilt of the Earth . The tropics are also referred to as the tropical zone and the torrid zone ( see geographical zone ) . The tropics include all the areas on the Earth where the Sun is at a point directly overhead at least once during the solar year ( which is a subsolar point ) .   The tropics are distinguished from the other climatic and biomatic regions of Earth , which are the middle latitudes and the polar regions on either side of the equatorial zone .


Troposphere

The troposphere is the lowest portion of Earth 's atmosphere , and is also where nearly all weather takes place . It contains approximately 75 % of the atmosphere 's mass and 99 % of the total mass of water vapor and aerosols . The average depths of the troposphere are 20 km in the tropics , 17 km in the mid latitudes , and 7 km in the polar regions in winter . The lowest part of the troposphere , where friction with the Earth 's surface influences air flow , is the planetary boundary layer . This layer is typically a few hundred meters to 2 km deep depending on the landform and time of day . Atop the troposphere is the tropopause , which is the border between the troposphere and stratosphere . The tropopause is an inversion layer , where the air temperature ceases to decrease with height and remains constant through its thickness .   The word troposphere derives from the for `` turn , turn toward , trope '' and '' - sphere '' ( as in , the Earth ) , reflecting the fact that rotational turbulent mixing plays an important role in the troposphere 's structure and behaviour . Most of the phenomena associated with day-to-day weather occur in the troposphere .


Tsunami

A tsunami ( from 津波 , `` harbour wave '' ;  English pronunciation : -LSB- tsuːˈnɑːmi -RSB- ) or tidal wave , also known as a seismic sea wave , is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water , generally in an ocean or a large lake . Earthquakes , volcanic eruptions and other underwater explosions ( including detonations of underwater nuclear devices ) , landslides , glacier calvings , meteorite impacts and other disturbances above or below water all have the potential to generate a tsunami . Unlike normal ocean waves which are generated by wind , or tides which are generated by the gravitational pull of the Moon and Sun , a tsunami is generated by the displacement of water .   Tsunami waves do not resemble normal undersea currents or sea waves , because their wavelength is far longer . Rather than appearing as a breaking wave , a tsunami may instead initially resemble a rapidly rising tide , and for this reason they are often referred to as tidal waves , although this usage is not favoured by the scientific community because tsunamis are not tidal in nature . Tsunamis generally consist of a series of waves with periods ranging from minutes to hours , arriving in a so-called `` internal wave train '' . Wave heights of tens of metres can be generated by large events . Although the impact of tsunamis is limited to coastal areas , their destructive power can be enormous and they can affect entire ocean basins ; the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami was among the deadliest natural disasters in human history with at least 230,000 people killed or missing in 14 countries bordering the Indian Ocean .   Greek historian Thucydides suggested in his late-5th century BC History of the Peloponnesian War , that tsunamis were related to submarine earthquakes , but the understanding of a tsunami 's nature remained slim until the 20th century and much remains unknown . Major areas of current research include trying to determine why some large earthquakes do not generate tsunamis while other smaller ones do ; trying to accurately forecast the passage of tsunamis across the oceans ; and also to forecast how tsunami waves interact with specific shorelines .


Tucson, Arizona

Tucson ( -LSB- ˈtuːsɒn -RSB- -LSB- tuːˈsɒn -RSB- ) is a city and the county seat of Pima County , Arizona , United States , and home to the University of Arizona . The 2010 United States Census put the population at 520,116 , while the 2015 estimated population of the entire Tucson metropolitan statistical area ( MSA ) was 980,263 . The Tucson MSA forms part of the larger Tucson-Nogales combined statistical area ( CSA ) , with a total population of 1,010,025 as of the 2010 Census . Tucson is the second-largest populated city in Arizona behind Phoenix , both of which anchor the Arizona Sun Corridor . The city is located 108 mi southeast of Phoenix and 60 mi north of the U.S. -- Mexico border . Tucson is the 33rd largest city and the 53rd largest metropolitan area in the United States .   Major incorporated suburbs of Tucson include Oro Valley and Marana northwest of the city , Sahuarita south of the city , and South Tucson in an enclave south of downtown . Communities in the vicinity of Tucson ( some within or overlapping the city limits ) include Casas Adobes , Catalina Foothills , Flowing Wells , Midvale Park , Tanque Verde , Tortolita , and Vail . Towns outside the Tucson metro area include Benson to the southeast , Catalina and Oracle to the north , and Green Valley to the south .   The Spanish name of the city , Tucsón -LSB- tukˈson -RSB- , is derived from the O'odham Cuk Ṣon -LSB- - azctʃʊk ʂɔːn -RSB- , meaning '' ( at the ) base of the black -LSB- hill -RSB- '' , a reference to a basalt-covered hill now known as Sentinel Peak , also known as `` A '' Mountain . Tucson is sometimes referred to as `` The Old Pueblo '' .


Tundra

In physical geography , tundra is a type of biome where the tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons . The term tundra comes through Russian тундра ( tûndra ) from the Kildin Sami word tūndâr `` uplands '' , `` treeless mountain tract '' . There are three types of tundra : Arctic tundra , alpine tundra , and Antarctic tundra . In tundra , the vegetation is composed of dwarf shrubs , sedges and grasses , mosses , and lichens . Scattered trees grow in some tundra regions . The ecotone ( or ecological boundary region ) between the tundra and the forest is known as the tree line or timberline .


Tuvalu

Tuvalu ( -LSB- tᵿˈvɑːlu -RSB- or -LSB- ˈtuːvəˌluː -RSB- ) , formerly known as the Ellice Islands , is a Polynesian island nation located in the Pacific Ocean , about midway between Hawaii and Australia , lying east-northeast of the Santa Cruz Islands ( belonging to the Solomons ) , southeast of Nauru , south of Kiribati , west of Tokelau , northwest of Samoa and Wallis and Futuna and north of Fiji . It comprises three reef islands and six true atolls spread out between the latitude of 5 ° to 10 ° south and longitude of 176 ° to 180 ° , west of the International Date Line . Tuvalu has a population of 10,640 ( 2012 census ) . The total land area of the islands of Tuvalu is 26 km2 .   The first inhabitants of Tuvalu were Polynesians . The pattern of settlement that is believed to have occurred is that the Polynesians spread out from Samoa and Tonga into the Tuvaluan atolls , with Tuvalu providing a stepping stone to migration into the Polynesian Outlier communities in Melanesia and Micronesia .   In 1568 , Spanish navigator Álvaro de Mendaña was the first European to sail through the archipelago , sighting the island of Nui during his expedition in search of Terra Australis . In 1819 the island of Funafuti was named Ellice 's Island ; the name Ellice was applied to all nine islands after the work of English hydrographer Alexander George Findlay . The islands came under Britain 's sphere of influence in the late 19th century , when each of the Ellice Islands was declared a British Protectorate by Captain Gibson of between 9 and 16 October 1892 . The Ellice Islands were administered as British protectorate by a Resident Commissioner from 1892 to 1916 as part of the British Western Pacific Territories ( BWPT ) , and then as part of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands colony from 1916 to 1974 .   A referendum was held in December 1974 to determine whether the Gilbert Islands and Ellice Islands should each have their own administration . As a consequence of the referendum , the Gilbert and Ellice Islands colony ceased to exist on 1 January 1976 and the separate British colonies of Kiribati and Tuvalu came into existence . Tuvalu became fully independent within the Commonwealth on 1 October 1978 . On 5 September 2000 Tuvalu became the 189th member of the United Nations .


Twitter

Twitter ( -LSB- ˈtwɪtər -RSB- ) is an online news and social networking service where users post and interact with messages , `` tweets '' , restricted to 140 characters . Registered users can post tweets , but those who are unregistered can only read them . Users access Twitter through its website interface , SMS or a mobile device app . Twitter Inc. is based in San Francisco , California , United States , and has more than 25 offices around the world .   Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey , Noah Glass , Biz Stone , and Evan Williams and launched in July . The service rapidly gained worldwide popularity . In 2012 , more than 100 million users posted 340 million tweets a day , and the service handled an average of 1.6 billion search queries per day . In 2013 , it was one of the ten most-visited websites and has been described as `` the SMS of the Internet '' . As of 2016 , Twitter had more than 319 million monthly active users . On the day of the 2016 U.S. presidential election , Twitter proved to be the largest source of breaking news , with 40 million election-related tweets sent by 10 p.m. ( Eastern Time ) that day .


Type I and type II errors

In statistical hypothesis testing , a type I error is the incorrect rejection of a true null hypothesis ( a `` false positive '' ) , while a type II error is incorrectly retaining a false null hypothesis ( a `` false negative '' ) . More simply stated , a type I error is detecting an effect that is not present , while a type II error is the failure to detect an effect that is present .


U.S. state and territory temperature extremes

The following table lists the highest and lowest temperatures recorded in the 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and the 5 inhabited U.S. territories during the past two centuries, in both Fahrenheit and Celsius. If two dates have the same temperature record (e.g. record low of 40°F in 1911 in Aibonito and 1966 in San Sebastian in Puerto Rico), only the most recent date is shown.


UAH satellite temperature dataset

The UAH satellite temperature dataset , developed at the University of Alabama in Huntsville , infers the temperature of various atmospheric layers from satellite measurements of radiance .   It was the first global temperature datasets developed from satellite information and has been used as a tool for research into surface and atmospheric temperature changes .  The dataset is published by John Christy et al. and formerly jointly with Roy Spencer .


Under the Volcano

Under the Volcano is a novel by English writer Malcolm Lowry ( 1909 -- 1957 ) published in 1947 . The novel tells the story of Geoffrey Firmin , an alcoholic British consul in the small Mexican town of Quauhnahuac , on the Day of the Dead , 2 November 1938 . The book takes its name from the two volcanoes that overshadow Quauhnahuac and the characters , Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl . Under the Volcano was Lowry 's second and last complete novel .   The novel was adapted for radio on Studio One in 1947 but had gone out of print by the time Lowry died . Its popularity restored , in 1984 it served as the basis of a film of the same name . In 1998 the Modern Library ranked Under the Volcano at number 11 on its list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century .


Underwater diving

Underwater diving is the practice of descending below the water 's surface to conduct underwater activities . In ambient pressure diving , the diver is exposed to the pressure of the surrounding water , and uses breathing apparatus for scuba diving or surface supplied diving , or when freediving , will breath-hold . The saturation diving technique reduces the risk of decompression sickness after long duration deep dives . Atmospheric diving suits may be used to isolate the diver from the effects of high ambient pressure . Although not usually considered to be diving , crewed submersibles can extend depth range , while remotely controlled or robotic diving machines can reduce the risk to human divers .   The diving environment exposes the diver to a wide range of hazards , and though the risks are largely controlled by appropriate diving skills , training , types of equipment and breathing gases used depending on the mode , depth and purpose of diving , it remains a relatively dangerous activity . Diving activities are restricted to relatively shallow depths ranging from around 40 m ( 130 ft. ) maximum for recreational Scuba diving to commercial saturation diving maximum around 534 metres ( 1,752 ft ) and 610 metres ( 2,000 ft ) wearing atmospheric diving suits . Diving is also restricted to conditions which are not excessively hazardous , though the level of risk acceptable to the diver can vary considerably . Occasionally diving may be done in liquids other than water .   Recreational diving , sometimes called sport diving or subaquatics , is a popular leisure activity . Technical diving is a form of recreational diving that achieves greater depths or endurance in more challenging conditions . Professional diving ( commercial diving , diving for scientific research purposes or diving for financial gain ) takes a range of diving activities to the underwater work site . Public safety diving is the underwater work done by law enforcement , fire rescue , and search & rescue/recovery dive teams , and may be done by professionals or volunteers . Military diving includes combat diving , clearance diving and ship 's husbandry diving . Underwater sports is a group of competitive sports using either free-diving , snorkeling or scuba technique , or a combination of these techniques . The term `` deep sea diving '' refers to underwater diving , usually with surface supplied equipment , and often refers specifically to the use of standard diving dress with the traditional copper helmet . `` Hard hat '' diving is any form of diving with a helmet , including the standard copper helmet , and other forms of free-flow and lightweight demand helmets .


Unemployment in the United States

Unemployment in the United States discusses the causes and measures of U.S. unemployment and strategies for reducing it . Job creation and unemployment are affected by factors such as economic conditions , global competition , education , automation , and demographics . These factors can affect the number of workers , the duration of unemployment , and wage levels .


Unit 731

was a covert biological and chemical warfare research and development unit of the Imperial Japanese Army that undertook lethal human experimentation during the Second Sino-Japanese War ( 1937 -- 1945 ) of World War II . It was responsible for some of the most notorious war crimes carried out by Japan . Unit 731 was based at the Pingfang district of Harbin , the largest city in the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo ( now Northeast China ) .   It was officially known as the . Originally set up under the Kempeitai military police of the Empire of Japan , Unit 731 was taken over and commanded until the end of the war by General Shiro Ishii , an officer in the Kwantung Army . The facility itself was built between 1934 and 1939 and officially adopted the name `` Unit 731 '' in 1941 .   Some historians estimate that up to 250,000 men , women , and children -- from which at least 600 every year were provided by the Kempeitai -- were subjected to experimentation conducted by Unit 731 at the camp based in Pingfang alone , which does not include victims from other medical experimentation sites , such as Unit 100 .   Unit 731 veterans of Japan attest that most of the victims they experimented on were Chinese while a small percentage were Russian , Mongolian , Korean , and Allied POWs . Almost 70 % of the victims who died in the Pingfang camp were Chinese , including both civilian and military . Close to 30 % of the victims were Russian . Some others were South East Asians and Pacific Islanders , at the time colonies of the Empire of Japan , and a small number of Allied prisoners of war . The unit received generous support from the Japanese government up to the end of the war in 1945 .   Instead of being tried for war crimes , the researchers involved in Unit 731 were secretly given immunity by the U.S. in exchange for the data they gathered through human experimentation . Others that Soviet forces managed to arrest first were tried at the Khabarovsk War Crime Trials in 1949 . Americans did not try the researchers so that the information and experience gained in bio-weapons could be co-opted into the U.S. biological warfare program , as had happened with Nazi researchers in Operation Paperclip . On 6 May 1947 , Douglas MacArthur , as Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces , wrote to Washington that `` additional data , possibly some statements from Ishii probably can be obtained by informing Japanese involved that information will be retained in intelligence channels and will not be employed as ` War Crimes ' evidence . '' Victim accounts were then largely ignored or dismissed in the West as communist propaganda .


United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland , commonly known as the United Kingdom ( UK ) or Britain , is a sovereign country in western Europe . Lying off the north-western coast of the European mainland , the United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain , the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands . Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom that shares a land border with another sovereign statethe Republic of Ireland.Although Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK that shares a land border with another sovereign state , two of its Overseas Territories also share land borders with other sovereign countries . Gibraltar shares a border with Spain , while the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia share borders with the Republic of Cyprus , the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and the UN buffer zone separating the two Cypriot polities . Apart from this land border , the United Kingdom is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean , with the North Sea to its east , the English Channel to its south and the Celtic Sea to its south-south-west , giving it the 12th-longest coastline in the world . The Irish Sea lies between Great Britain and Ireland . With an area of 242500 km2 , the United Kingdom is the 78th-largest sovereign state in the world and the 11th-largest in Europe . It is also the 21st-most populous country , with an estimated 65.1 million inhabitants . Together , this makes it the fourth-most densely populated country in the European Union ( EU ) .   The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of governance . The monarch is Queen Elizabeth II , who has reigned since 6 February 1952 . The capital of the United Kingdom and its largest city is London , a global city and financial centre with an urban area population of 10.3 million , the fourth-largest in Europe and second-largest in the European Union . Other major urban areas in the United Kingdom include the conurbations centred on Birmingham , Leeds , Glasgow , Liverpool and Manchester . The United Kingdom consists of four countries -- England , Scotland , Wales and Northern Ireland . The last three have devolved administrations , each with varying powers , based in their capitals , Edinburgh , Cardiff and Belfast , respectively . The nearby Isle of Man , Bailiwick of Guernsey and Bailiwick of Jersey are not part of the United Kingdom , being Crown dependencies with the British Government responsible for defence and international representation .   The relationships among the countries of the UK have changed over time . Wales was annexed by the Kingdom of England under the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542 . A treaty between England and Scotland resulted in 1707 in a unified Kingdom of Great Britain , which merged in 1801 with the Kingdom of Ireland to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland . Five-sixths of Ireland seceded from the UK in 1922 , leaving the present formulation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.The Anglo-Irish Treaty was signed on 6 December 1921 to resolve the Irish War of Independence . When it took effect one year later , it established the Irish Free State as a separate dominion within the Commonwealth . The UK 's current name was adopted to reflect the change . There are fourteen British Overseas Territories . These are the remnants of the British Empire which , at its height in the 1920s , encompassed almost a quarter of the world 's land mass and was the largest empire in history . British influence can be observed in the language , culture and legal systems of many of its former colonies .   The United Kingdom is a developed country and has the world 's fifth-largest economy by nominal GDP and ninth-largest economy by purchasing power parity . The UK is considered to have a high-income economy and is categorised as very high in the Human Development Index , ranking 16th in the world . It was the world 's first industrialised country and the world 's foremost power during the 19th and early 20th centuries . The UK remains a great power with considerable economic , cultural , military , scientific and political influence internationally . It is a recognised nuclear weapons state and is seventh in military expenditure in the world . The UK has been a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council since its first session in 1946 . It has been a leading member state of the EU and its predecessor , the European Economic Community ( EEC ) , since 1973 . However , on 23 June 2016 , a national referendum on the UK 's membership of the EU resulted in a decision to leave , and its exit from the EU is currently being negotiated . The UK is also a member of the Commonwealth of Nations , the Council of Europe , the G7 finance ministers , the G7 forum , the G20 , NATO , the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development ( OECD ) , and the World Trade Organization ( WTO ) .


United Kingdom enterprise law

United Kingdom enterprise law concerns the ownership , regulation and potentially competition in the provision of public services , private or mutual companies in the United Kingdom .


United Nations

The United Nations ( UN ) is an intergovernmental organization to promote international co-operation and to create and maintain international order . A replacement for the ineffective League of Nations , the organization was established on 24 October 1945 after World War II in order to prevent another such conflict . At its founding , the UN had 51 member states ; there are now 193 . The headquarters of the UN is in Manhattan , New York City , and experiences extraterritoriality . Further main offices are situated in Geneva , Nairobi , and Vienna . The organization is financed by assessed and voluntary contributions from its member states . Its objectives include maintaining international peace and security , promoting human rights , fostering social and economic development , protecting the environment , and providing humanitarian aid in cases of famine , natural disaster , and armed conflict . The UN is the largest , most familiar , most internationally represented and most powerful intergovernmental organisation in the world .   The UN Charter was drafted at a conference between April -- June 1945 in San Francisco , and was signed on 26 June 1945 at the conclusion of the conference ; this charter took effect 24 October 1945 , and the UN began operation . The UN 's mission to preserve world peace was complicated in its early decades by the Cold War between the US and Soviet Union and their respective allies . The organization participated in major actions in Korea and the Congo , as well as approving the creation of the state of Israel in 1947 . The organization 's membership grew significantly following widespread decolonization in the 1960s , and by the 1970s its budget for economic and social development programmes far outstripped its spending on peacekeeping . After the end of the Cold War , the UN took on major military and peacekeeping missions across the world with varying degrees of success .   The UN has six principal organs : the General Assembly ( the main deliberative assembly ) ; the Security Council ( for deciding certain resolutions for peace and security ) ; the Economic and Social Council ( ECOSOC ; for promoting international economic and social co-operation and development ) ; the Secretariat ( for providing studies , information , and facilities needed by the UN ) ; the International Court of Justice ( the primary judicial organ ) ; and the UN Trusteeship Council ( inactive since 1994 ) . UN System agencies include the World Bank Group , the World Health Organization , the World Food Programme , UNESCO , and UNICEF . The UN 's most prominent officer is the Secretary-General , an office held by Portuguese António Guterres since 2017 . Non-governmental organizations may be granted consultative status with ECOSOC and other agencies to participate in the UN 's work .   The organization won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001 , and a number of its officers and agencies have also been awarded the prize . Other evaluations of the UN 's effectiveness have been mixed . Some commentators believe the organization to be an important force for peace and human development , while others have called the organization ineffective , corrupt , or biased .


United Nations Development Programme

The United Nations Development Programme ( UNDP ) is the United Nations ' global development network .   Headquartered in New York City , UNDP advocates for change and connects countries to knowledge , experience and resources to help people build a better life . It provides expert advice , training and grants support to developing countries , with increasing emphasis on assistance to the least developed countries .   The status of UNDP is that of an executive board within the United Nations General Assembly . The UNDP Administrator is the third highest-ranking official of the United Nations after the United Nations Secretary-General and Deputy Secretary-General .   To accomplish the MDGs and encourage global development , UNDP focuses on poverty reduction , HIV/AIDS , democratic governance , energy and environment , social development , and crisis prevention and recovery . UNDP also encourages the protection of human rights and the empowerment of women in all of its programmes . The UNDP Human Development Report Office also publishes an annual Human Development Report ( since 1990 ) to measure and analyse developmental progress . In addition to a global Report , UNDP publishes regional , national , and local Human Development Reports .   UNDP is funded entirely by voluntary contributions from member nations . The organization operates in 177 countries , where it works with local governments to meet development challenges and develop local capacity . Additionally , the UNDP works internationally to help countries achieve the Millennium Development Goals ( MDGs ) . Currently , the UNDP is one of the main UN agencies involved in the development of the Post-2015 Development Agenda .   UNDP works with nations on their own solutions to global and national development challenges . As they develop local capacity , they draw on the people of UNDP and its wide range of partners .


United Nations Environment Programme

The United Nations Environment Programme ( UN Environment ) is an agency of United Nations and coordinates its environmental activities , assisting developing countries in implementing environmentally sound policies and practices . It was founded by Maurice Strong , its first director , as a result of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment ( Stockholm Conference ) in June 1972 and has its headquarters in the Gigiri neighbourhood of Nairobi , Kenya . UN Environment also has six regional offices and various country offices .   UN Environment has overall responsibility for environmental problems among United Nations agencies but international talks on specialized issues , such as addressing global warming or combating desertification , are overseen by other UN organizations , like the Bonn-based Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification . UN Environment activities cover a wide range of issues regarding the atmosphere , marine and terrestrial ecosystems , environmental governance and green economy . It has played a significant role in developing international environmental conventions , promoting environmental science and information and illustrating the way those can be implemented in conjunction with policy , working on the development and implementation of policy with national governments , regional institutions in conjunction with environmental non-governmental organizations ( NGOs ) . UN Environment has also been active in funding and implementing environment related development projects .   UN Environment has aided in the formulation of guidelines and treaties on issues such as the international trade in potentially harmful chemicals , transboundary air pollution , and contamination of international waterways .   The World Meteorological Organization and UN Environment established the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ( IPCC ) in 1988 . UN Environment is also one of several Implementing Agencies for the Global Environment Facility ( GEF ) and the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol , and it is also a member of the United Nations Development Group . The International Cyanide Management Code , a program of best practice for the chemical 's use at gold mining operations , was developed under UN Environment 's aegis .


The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change ( UNFCCC ) is an international environmental treaty adopted on May 9 , 1992 and opened for signature at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro from 3 to 14 June 1992 . It then entered into force on 21 March 1994 , after a sufficient number of countries had ratified it . The UNFCCC objective is to `` stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system '' . The framework sets no binding limits on greenhouse gas emissions for individual countries and contains no enforcement mechanisms . Instead , the framework outlines how specific international treaties ( called `` protocols '' or `` Agreements '' ) may be negotiated to specify further action towards the objective of the UNFCCC .   Initially an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee ( INC ) produced the text of the Framework Convention during its meeting in New York from 30 April to 9 May 1992 . The UNFCCC was adopted on 9 May 1992 , and opened for signature on 4 June 1992 . The UNFCCC has 197 parties as of December 2015 . The convention enjoys broad legitimacy , largely due to its nearly universal membership .   The parties to the convention have met annually from 1995 in Conferences of the Parties ( COP ) to assess progress in dealing with climate change . In 1997 , the Kyoto Protocol was concluded and established legally binding obligations for developed countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions in the period 2008-2012 . The 2010 Cancún agreements state that future global warming should be limited to below 2.0 ° C ( 3.6 ° F ) relative to the pre-industrial level . The Protocol was amended in 2012 to encompass the period 2013-2020 in the Doha Amendment , which - as of December 2015 - had not entered into force . In 2015 the Paris Agreement was adopted , governing emission reductions from 2020 on through commitments of countries in ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions . The Paris Agreement entered into force on November 4th , 2016 .   One of the first tasks set by the UNFCCC was for signatory nations to establish national greenhouse gas inventories of greenhouse gas ( GHG ) emissions and removals , which were used to create the 1990 benchmark levels for accession of Annex I countries to the Kyoto Protocol and for the commitment of those countries to GHG reductions . Updated inventories must be submitted annually by Annex I countries .   The UNFCCC is also the name of the United Nations Secretariat charged with supporting the operation of the Convention , with offices in Haus Carstanjen , and the UN Campus ( known as Langer Eugen ) Bonn , Germany . From 2010 to 2016 the head of the secretariat was Christiana Figueres . In July 2016 , Patricia Espinosa from Mexico succeeded Figueres . The Secretariat , augmented through the parallel efforts of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ( IPCC ) , aims to gain consensus through meetings and the discussion of various strategies .


United Nations Ocean Conference

The 2017 United Nations Ocean Conference was a United Nations conference that took place on June 5th-9th 2017 which sought to mobilize action for the conservation and sustainable use of the oceans, seas and marine resources.The Earth's waters are said to be "under threat as never before", with pollution, overfishing, and the effects of climate change severely damaging the health of our oceans. For instance as oceans are warming and becoming more acidic, biodiversity is becoming reduced and changing currents will cause more frequent storms and droughts. Every year around 8 million metric tons of plastic waste leak into the ocean and make it into the circular ocean currents. This causes contamination of sediments at the sea-bottom and causes plastic waste to be embedded in the aquatic food chain. It could lead to oceans containing more plastics than fish by 2050 if nothing is done. Key habitats such as coral reefs are at risk and noise pollution are a threat to whales, dolphins, and other species. Furthermore almost 90 percent of fish stocks are overfished or fully exploited which cost more than $80 billion a year in lost revenues.UN Secretary-General António Guterres stated that decisive, coordinated global action can solve the problems created by Humanity. Peter Thomson, President of the UN General Assembly, highlighted the conference's significance, saying "if we want a secure future for our species on this planet, we have to act now on the health of the ocean and on climate change".The conference sought to find ways and urge for the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14. Its theme is "Our oceans, our future: partnering for the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14". It also asked governments, UN bodies, and civil society groups to make voluntary commitments for action to improve the health of the oceans with over 1,000 commitments − such as on managing protected areas − being made.


United Nations in popular culture

Popular culture references to the United Nations have been made in several media , including film , books , video games , and others . In many instances , the United Nations ( or a fictional agency thereof ) will figure in a storyline . In the case of science fiction , for example , the humans are united under one government that is descended directly from the UN .