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Geography 83
Chapter 2 Vocabulary
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| 1.Weather | The condition of the bottom layer of the earth's atmosphere in one place over a short period of time |
| 2.Climate | The term used for the weather patterns that an area typically experiences over a long period of time |
| 3.Rotation | The spinning motion of the earth, like a top on its axis, as it travels through space |
| 4.Revolution | One complete orbit of the earth around the sun. the earth completes one revolution every 365 1/4 days, or one year |
| 5.Solistice | Either of the two times a year when the sun appears directly overhead at the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn |
| 6.Equinox | Either of the two times a year (Spring and Fall) when day and night are of nearly equal length everywhere on earth |
| 7.Precipitation | All the forms of water that fall to earth from the atmosphere, including rain and snow |
| 8.Front | The boundary between two masses of air that differ in density or temperature |
| 9.Continental Climate | The type of climate found in the great central areas of continents in the Northern Hemisphere; characterized by cold snowy winters and warm or hot summers |
| 10.Ecosystem | The interaction of plant life, animal life, and the physical environment in which they live |
| 11.Biome | The term used to describe a major type of ecosystem that can be found in various regions throughout the world |
| 12.Deciduous | Leaf-shedding; a type of tree that sheds its leaves during one season |
| 13.Coniferous | Cone-bearing; a type of tree able to survive long, cold winters, with long, thin needles rather than leaves |
| 14.Chaparral | A type of natural vegetation that is adapted to Mediterranean climates; small evergreen trees and low bushes, or scrub |
| 15.Savanna | A tropical grassland with scattered trees, located in the warm lands near the Equator |
| 16.Herbivore | A plant-eating animal |
| 17.Carnivore | A meat-eating animal |
| 18.Prarie | A temperate grassland characterized by a great variety of grasses |
| 19.Tundra | A dry, treeless plain where temperatures are always cool or cold and only specialized plants can grow |
| 20.Permafrost | A layer of soil just below the earth's surface that stays permanently frozen |