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Chapter 2 voc.
Geography
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| weather | the condition of the bottom layer of the earths atmosphere in one place over a short period of time. |
| climate | the tearm used for the weather patterns that an area tipically 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 earth. The earth completes one revolution every 365 1/4 days or one year. |
| solstice | either two times a year when the sun appears directly overhead at the tropics of cancer and capercorn |
| equinox | either of the two times each year (spring and fall) when day and night are nearly equal length everwhere on earth |
| precipitation | all forms of water that fall to earth from the atmosphere includng rain and snow. |
| front | the boundary between two masses of air that differ in density or temperature |
| continental climate | a type of climate found in the great central areas of continents in northern hemisphere; charecterized by cold, snowy winters and warm or hot summers |
| ecosystem | the interaction of plant life, animal life, and the physical enviroment 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. |
| decideous | 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. |
| chapparal | a type of natural vegitation that is adapted to meditteraininan 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 | meat eating animal |
| prairie | a temperate grassland charecterized by a great variety of grasses |
| tundra | a dry, treeless plain where the temperatures are always cool or cold and only specialized plants that can grow |
| permafrost | a layer of soil just below the earths surface that stays permanently frozen |