| A | B |
|---|
| weather | condition of the bottom layer of the earth's atmosphere in one place over a short period of time |
| climate | term used for the weather patterns that and area typically experiences over a long period of time |
| rotation | spinning motion of the earth, like a top on its axis, as it travels through space |
| revolution | One complete orbit of the earth around the sun. The earth completes one revolution every 365 1/4 days, or one year |
| solstice | Either of the two times a year when the sun appears directly overhead at the Tropic of Cancer and Capricorn |
| equinox | Either of the two times each year (spring and fall) when day and night are of nearly equal length everywhere on earth |
| precipation | forms of water that fall to earth from the atmosphere, including rain and snow |
| front | boundary between two masses of air that differ in density or temperature |
| continental climate | type of climate found in the great central areas of continents in the Northern Hemisphere; characterized by cold, snowy winters and warm or hot summers |
| ecosystem | interaction of plant life, animal life, and the physical environment in which they live |
| biome | term used to describe a major type of ecosystem that can be found in various regions throughout the world |
| deciduous | Leaf-shedding; a type of tree that sheds its leaves during one season |
| coniferous | Cone-bearing; a type of tree able to survive long, cold winters, with long, thin needles rather than leaves |
| chaparral | type of natural vegetation that is adapted to Mediterranean climates; small evergreen trees and low bushes, or scrub |
| savanna | tropical grassland with scattered trees, located in the warm lands near the Equator |
| herbivore | plant-eating animal |
| carnivore | meat-eating animal |
| prairie | temperate grassland characterized by a great variety of grasses |
| tundra | region where temperatures are always cool, or cold and only specialized plants can grow |
| permafrost | layer of soil just below the earth's surface that stays permanently frozen |
