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world geography890
ch.2 vocabulary
Question | Answer |
---|---|
weather | the condition of the bottom layer of the earths atmosphere in one place over a short period of time. |
climate | the term used for the weather patterns that an area typically experiences over a long period of time. |
rotation | the spinning motion of the earth, like a top on its axis, as it travels through space. |
revolution | one complete orbit of the earth around the sun. the earth completes one revovution every 3651/4 days or one year |
solstice | either of the two times a year when the sun appears directly overhead at the tropics of cancer and Capricorn. |
equinox | either of the two times each year ( spring and fall) when day and night are of nearly equal length everywhere on earth |
precipitation | all the forms of water that fall t earth from the atmosphere, including rain and snow. |
front | the boundary between two masses of air that differ in density or tempeture |
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 of hot summers |
ecosystem | the interaction of plant life, animal life and the physical environment in which they live |
biome | the term used to describe a major type of ecosystem that can be found in various regions throughout the world |
deciduous | leaf-shedding; A type of tree that sheds its leaves during one season |
coniferous | cone-bearing; a type of tree able to survive long, cold winters, with long, thin needles rather than leaves. |
chaparral | a type of natural vegetation that is adapted to Mediterranean climates;small evergreen trees and low bushes, or scrub |
savanna | a tropical grassland with scattered trees, located in the warm lands near the Equator |
herbivore | a plant eating animal |
carnivore | a meat eating animal |
prairie | a temperate characterized by a great variety of grass. |
tundra | a dry, treeless plain when temperatures are always cool or cold and only specialized plants can grow |
permafrost | a layer of soil just below the earths surface that stays permanently frozen. |