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Chapter 14 - Vocab
Chapter 14 - Vocab - Climate
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Climate | The long term average weather conditions that occur in a particular region. |
Rain Shadow | An area of low rainfall on the downwind slope of a mountain. |
Specific Heat | The amount (joules) of thermal energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 kg of material by 1 degrees Celsius. |
Microclimate | A localized climate that is different from the climate of the larger area surrounding it. |
Ice Age | Cold periods lasting from hundreds to millions of years when glaciers cover much of the Earth. |
Interglacial | The warm periods that occur during ice ages or between ice ages. |
El Nino/Southern Oscillation. | The combined ocean and atmosphere cycle that results in weakened trade winds across the Pacific Ocean. |
Mon Soon | A wind circulation pattern that changes direction with the seasons. |
Drought | A period with below average precipitation. |
Global Warming | The rise in Earth's average surface temperature during the past 100 years. |
Greenhouse Gas | Gases in the atmosphere that absorb Earth's outgoing infrared radiation. |
Deforestation | The large-scale cutting and/or burning of forests. |
Global climate model. | A set of complex equations used to predict future climates. |