| A | B |
|---|
| water vapor | water in the form of gas |
| water cycle | process in which water moves from the oceans to the air to the ground and finally back to the oceans |
| evaporation | process in which the sun's heat turns liquid water into water vapor |
| condensation | process in which air rises and cools, which makes the water vapor it holds change back into a liquid |
| precipitation | water that falls back to the earth as rain, snow, sleet or hail |
| collection | process in the water cycle during which streams and rivers carry water back to the oceans |
| glacier | giant slow-moving sheets of ice |
| groundwater | water that fills tiny cracks and holes in the rock layers below the earth's surface |
| aquifer | underground rock layer that water flows through |
| weather | unpredictable changes in air that take place over a short period of time |
| climate | ususal, predictable pattern of weather in an area over a long period of time |
| Tropics | low-latitude region between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn |
| drought | long period of extreme dryness |
| El Niño | combination of temperature, wind and water effects in the Pacific Ocean that causes heavy rains in some areas and drought in others |
| La Niña | pattern of unusual weather in the Pacific Ocean that has opposite effects of El Niño |
| current | moving streams of water in the world's oceans |
| local wind | pattern of wind caused by landforms in a particular area |
| rain shadow | dry area on the inland side of coastal mountains |
| greenhouse effect | buildup of certain gases in the atmosphere that, like a greenhouse, hold more of the sun's warmth |
| rain forest | dense forest that receives high amounts of rain each year |
| savanna | broad grassland in the Tropics with few trees |
| marine west coast climate | weather pattern characterized by rainy and mild wintersand cool summers |
| Mediterranean climate | weather pattern characterized by mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers |
| Humid continental climate | weather pattern characterized by long, cold, snowy winters and short, hot summers |
| humid subtropical climate | weather pattern characterized by hot, humid, rainy summers and short, mild winters |
| subartic | weather pattern characterized by severely cold, bitter winters and short, cool summers |
| tundra | vast rolling treeless plain in high latitude climates in which only the top few inches of ground thaw in summer |
| steppe | partly dry grassland often found on the edges of a desert |
| acid rain | rain containing high amounts of chemical pollutants |
| deforestation | widespread cutting of forest |
| crop rotation | varying what is planted n a field to avoid using up all of the minerals in the soil |
| conservation | careful use of resources so they are not wasted |
| irrigation | farming practice followed in dry areas to collect water and bring it to crops |
| pesticide | powerful chemicals that kill crop destroying insects |
| ecosystem | place where the plants and animals are dependent upon one another and their surroundings for survival |
