| A | B |
|---|
| weather | The condition of the bottom layer of the earth’s atmosphere in one place over a short period of time. |
| climate | The term used for the weather patterns that area typically experiences over a long period of time. |
| rotation | This 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 Tropics of Cancer in Capricorn. |
| equinox | Either of the two times each year (spring and fall) when day and night are nearly equal length everywhere on earth. |
| precipitation | All the forms of water that fall to earth from the atmosphere, including rain and snow. |
| front | The boundary between two masses of air that differ in density or temperature. |
| continental climate | The type of climates found in the great central areas of continents in the Northern Hemisphere; characterized by cold, snowy winters and warm or hot summers. |
| ecosystem | The interaction of plant life, animal life, and the physical environment in which they live. |
| biome | The 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 | A type of natural vegetation that is adapted to Mediterranean climates; small evergreen trees and low bushes, or scrub. |
| savanna | A tropical grassland with scattered trees, located in the warm land near the Equator. |
| herbivore | A plant-eating animal. |
| carnivore | A meat-eating animal. |
| prairie | A temperate grassland characterized by a great variety of grasses. |
| tundra | A region where temperatures are always cool or cold and only specialized plants can grow. |
| permafrost | A layer of soil just below the earth’s surface that stays permanently frozen. |
