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chapter 14
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Climate | Is the long-term average weather conditions that occur in a particular region. |
Rain shadow | An area of law rainfall on the downwind slope of a mountain. |
Specific heat | Is the amount (joules) of thermal energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 kg of a material by 1 C. |
Microclimate | Is a localized climate that is different from the climate of the largest area surrounding it. |
Ice ages | are cold periods lasting from hundreds to millions of year when glaciers cover much of earth. |
Interglacial | The warm periods that occur during ice ages or between ice ages. |
El Nino/ Southern Oscillationn | The combined ocean and athmospheric cycle that results in weakened trade winds across the Pacific Ocean. |
Monsoon | Is a wind circulation pattern that changes direction with the seasons. |
Drought | Is a period with below-average precipitation. |
Global warning | The rise in Earth's average surface temperature during the past 100 year is often referred to. |
Greenhouse gases | Gases in the atmosphere that absorb Earth's outgoing infrared radiation. |
Deforestation | Is the larges-scale cutting and/ or burning of forest. |
Global climate model | Or GCM, is a set of complex equations used to predict future climates. |