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Chapter 14 Vocab.
| 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 (in joules) of thermal energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of a 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 of millions of years when glaciers cover much of Earth. |
| Interglacial | The warm periods that occur during ice ages or between ice ages. |
| El Nino/Southern Oscillation | The combined ocean and atmospheric cycle that results in weakened trade winds across the Pacific Ocean. |
| Monsoon | 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 radiations. |
| Deforestation | The large-scale cutting and/or burning of forests. |
| Global Climate Model | A set of complex equations used to predict future climates. (GCM) |