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world geogra
ch.2 vocab
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| 1.weather | the condition of the bottom layer of the earth's atmoshpere in one place over short period of time. |
| 2.climate | the term used for the weather patterns that an area typically experiences over long period of time. |
| 3.rotation | the spinning motion of the earth like a top on it axis as it travels through space. |
| 4.revolution | one complete orbit of the earth around the sun.the earth completes one revolution ever 365 1/4 days or one year. |
| 5.solstice | 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 each year (spring and fall) when day and night are of nearly equal lengths everywhere on earth. |
| 7.precipitaion | all forms of water that fall to earth from the atmoshpere,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 hemishpere;characterized by cold,snowy winters and warm or hot summer. |
| 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;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 shrubs. |
| 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.Prairie | a temperate grassland characterized by a great variety of grasses. |
| 20.Tundra | a dry treeless plain where temperatures are always cool or cold and only specialized plants can grow. |
| 21.Permafrost | a layer of soil just below the earth's surface that stays permanently frozen. |