Geography Word Scramble

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Question	Answer
condition of the atmosphere in one place during a short period of time	weather
weather patterns typical for an area over a long period of time	climate
referring to the earth, and imaginary line that runs through its center between the North Pole and the South Pole	axis
a measure of how hot or cold something is, generally measured in degrees on a set scale, such as Fahrenheit or Celsius	temperature
in astronomy, the earth's yearly trip around the sun, taking 365 1/2 days	revolution
one of two days on which the sun is directly above the equator, making day and night equal in length	equinox
one of two days on which the sun's rays strike directly at latitude 23 1/2 North (Tropic of Cancer) or 23 1/2 South (Tropic of Capricorn), marking the beginning of summer or winter	solstice
wind in a region that blows in a fairly constant directional pattern, such as the trade winds that blow toward the Equator in low latitudes	prevailing wind
a frequently windless area near the Equator	doldrums
cold or warm "river" of seawater that flows in the oceans, generally in a circular pattern	current
moisture that falls to the earth as rain, snow, sleet, or hail	precipitation
facing toward the direction from which the wind is blowing	windward
facing away from the direction from which the wind is blowing	leeward
a dry area found on the leeward side of a mountain range	rain shadow
the plant life the grows in an area if the natural environment has not been changed by people	natural vegetation
an area of lush vegetation	oasis
describing trees, usually broadleaved such as oak and maple, that lose their leaves in autumn	deciduous
forestland with both evergreen and deciduous trees	mixed forest
type of vegetation made up of dense forests of shrubs and short trees, common in Mediterranean climate	chaparral
an inland grassland area	prairie
permanently frozen layer of soil beneath the surface of the ground	permafrost
Russian term for the vast subarctic forest, mainly evergreens, that begins where the tundra ends; also used for subarctic climate regions in general	taiga
elevation above which it is too cold for trees to grow	timberline
one step in the scientific method, suggesting a scientific explanation for observed events	hypothesis
irritating haze caused by the interaction of ultraviolet solar radiation with chemical fumes from automobile exhausts and other pollution sources	smog
for every 1,000 feet above altitude you lose ____ degrees in temperature	3 1/2
______ precipitation is when a rain shadow is formed	oragraphic
if an area receives less then ____ inches of rain a year it is considered a desert	10
forest with both evergreen and conifer trees	coniferous forest
0-30 degrees north or south of the equator are the	trade winds/ low latitudes
30-60 degrees north or south of the equator are the	westerlies/ middle latitudes
60-90 degrees north or south of the equator are the	easterlies/ high latitudes
what are the 5 main climate regions?	tropical, dry, mid-latitude, high-latitude, and highland
at the high latitude north it is also called	arctic circle
at the middle latitude north it is also called	tropic of cancer
at the low latitude 0 degrees is the	equator
at the middle latitude south it is also called	tropic of capricorn
at the high latitude south it is also called	antarctic circle
the earth is tilted at	23 1/2 degrees
what causes the seasons to change?	the earth's revolution and tilt
god designed 3 main systems to distribute heat over the earth:	seasons. winds, and ocean currents
season middle latitude	spring summer fall winter
tropics seasons	rainy and dry
seasonal changes are caused by the __________	tilt of the earth's axis
the earth near the ______ receives more sunlight than land near the poles	equator
the earth's axis is always pointed to the ________	north star
the earth has 2 movements:	rotates on its axis, and it revolves aroung the sun
the tropic of cancer is located at	23 1/2 degrees north
the tropic of capricorn is located at	23 1/2 degrees south
the low latitudes are between 0 and 23 1/2 degrees, have warm temperatures and are called the _______	tropics
the middle latitudes go from 23 1/2 degrees to 66 1/2, have warm summers and cool winters and are called the _______	temperate zones
the high latitudes go from 66 1/2 all the way up to 90 they are called the _________	polar regions
______ is caused by movement of air that has been heated by the sun	wind
a large area of air that has similar temperatures and moves together is called an _______	air mass
warm air masses _____, and cold air masses ______	rise,sink
few winds blow north or south-the rotation around the earth's axis influences wind direction. the effect of this rotation is known as the ________	coriolis effect
fast currents of wind that flow at high altitudes; they occur where cold polar air meets warm equatorial air	jet streams
non- windy area by the equator is called the doldrums also called as _______	horse latitudes
hot air masses develop over the interior of continents in the summer, this hot arising air is call a ________	low pressure zone
when winter comes, patterns reverse and this cold heavy air is called a	high pressure zone
3 major factors that influence wind direction:	latitude, earth's rotation, and continents
______ is a slight increase in surface water temperature over a wide area region in the pacific	El Nino
ocean currents flow in a circular pattern calles _______, in the center of this the water is dangerously calm	gyres
different states of water	solid liquid gas
when water absorbs enough heat, it changes into an invisible gas called water vapor, this process is called ________	evaporation
the process of water's change from a gas to a liquid is called _______	condensation
the amount of water vapor in the air is called ________	humidity
the fall of water to the earth is called _________	precipitation
4 types of precipitation	rain, snow, sleet, and hail
the __________ continually replenishes the soil, plants, lakes, and rivers	hydrologic/water cycle
_____________ is like a slow-moving river under the ground	ground water
eventually ALL water returns to the _______	oceans
rain or snow falls along the line where two air masses of different temperature meet, this line is called a _______	front
the rise of warm air over a hot surface is called ________, which causes precipitation	convection
4 moderate climates:	marine west coast, mediterranean, humid continental, and humid subtropic (MS)
deserts are often called _____ regions, which means "lacking moisture"	arid
_______ refers to land just above the tropics. It receives 50 inches of rainfall per year, and is where some of the richest farmland is located	humid subtropic
_________ covers most of western Europe and parts of California	marine west coast
a ______ is any large region where distinct populations of plants and animals are found living together	biome
3 basic biomes:	forest, grassland, and wastelands
in north america fertile grasslands are called _______	praires
_______ cold region near the poles	tundra

Created by: Lauren Pole