Term | Definition |
Solstice | two time of year when the sun’s rays shine directly overhead at noon at the furthers points north or south, and the mark the beginning of summer and winter |
Equinox | each of the two days in a year on which day and night are equal in length; marks the beginning of spring and autumn |
Weather | the condition of the atmosphere at a particular location and time |
Climate | the typical weather conditions at a particular location as observed over time |
Precipitation | falling water droplets in the form of rain, sleet, snow, or hail |
Rain shadow | the land on the leeward side of hills or mountains that gets little rain from the descending dry air |
Hurricane | a storm that forms over warm, tropical ocean waters |
Typhoon | a tropical storm, like a hurricane that occurs in the western Pacific |
Tornado | a powerful funnel-shaped column of spiraling air |
Blizzard | a heavy snowstorm with winds of more than 35 miles per hour and reduced visibility of less than one-quarter mile. |
Drought | a long period without rain or with very minimal rainfall |
Convection | the transfer of heat in the atmosphere by upward motion of the air |
El Nino | a weather pattern created by the warming of the waters off the west coast of South America, which pushes warm water and heavy rains toward the Americans and produces drought conditions in Australia and Asia |
Greenhouse effect | the layer of gases released by the burning of coal and petroleum that traps solar energy, causing global temperature to increase |
Tundra | the flat treeless lands forming a ring around the Arctic Ocean; the climate region of the Arctic Ocean |
Permafrost | permanently frozen ground |
Ecosystem | an interdependent community of plants and animals |
Biome | a regional ecosystem |
Needleleaf | characteristic of trees like pine, fir, and cedar, found in northern regions of North America |
Deciduous | a name characteristic of broadleaf trees, such as maple, oak, birch, and cottonwood. |
Rain forest | a forest region located in the Tropical Zone with a heavy concentration of different species of broadleaf trees |
Coniferous | another word for needleleaf trees |
Savanna | the term for the flat, grassy, mostly treeless plains in the tropical grassland region |
Steppe | the term used for the temperate grassland region in the Northern Hemisphere |