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Climate
Explaining Regional Climates
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| climate | The average weather of a place over a long period of time (many years) |
| weather | The conditions of the atmosphere right now or over a short time, like temperature, rain, or wind |
| unequal heating | When the Sun heats Earth unevenly, causing some areas to be warmer than others |
| convection currents | The movement of air or water caused by warm, less dense material rising and cool, denser material sinking |
| atmospheric circulation | Large-scale movement of air around Earth that helps move heat and moisture from place to place |
| oceanic circulation | The movement of ocean water that transfers heat around the planet and affects nearby climates |
| climograph | A graph that shows a location’s average temperature and precipitation over a year |
| coriolis effect | The way Earth’s rotation causes moving air and water to curve instead of traveling in a straight line |