| A | B |
|---|
| Specific Heat | amount of heat/energy per unit mass required to raise the temperature of a substance by one degree Celsius. |
| Climate | average weather pattern in an area over a long period of time |
| Tropics | Climate zone that receives the most solar radiation, located between 23 degrees N and S of the equator |
| Polar Zone | climate zones that receive solar radiation at a low angle, extends from 66 degrees N and S to the poles |
| Temperate Zone | climate zones with moderate temperatures that are located between the tropics and the polar zones |
| Adaptation | any structural or behavioral change that helps an organism survive in its particular environment |
| Hibernation | behavioral adaptation for winter survival in which an animal's activity is greatly reduced, its body temperature drops, and body processes slow down |
| Estivation | behavioral adaptation that causes a state of dormancy or torpor during the summer. |
| Season | short period of climate change in an area caused by the tilt of the Earth's axis as Earth revolves around the Sun |
| El Nino | Climatic event that begins in the tropical Pacific Ocean; may occur when trade winds weaken or reverse; and can disrupt normal temperature and precipitation patterns around the world |
| La Nina | Climatic event occur when the Pacific trade winds blow more strongly than usual, pushing the sun-warmed surface water farther west and increasing the upwelling of cold water in the eastern regions |
| Greenhouse Effect | natural heating that occurs when certain gases in the Earth's atmosphere, such as methane, CO2, and water vapor trap heat |
| Global Warming | Increase in the average global temperatures of Earth |
| Deforestation | destruction and cutting down of forests - often to clear land for mining, roads, and cattle - increases atmospheric CO2 |
| Number of basic climate classifications | 6 |
| Sylvania's Climate Classification | Continental - warm summer |
| 3 Major Greenhouse Gasses | Water Vapor, CO2, Methane |
| Human Activities that increase CO2 in the atmosphere | Burning Fossil Fuels, Deforestation |
| Climates are classified by: | Temperature and Precipitation |
