| A | B |
|---|
| canopy | top layer of the rain forest |
| savanna | broad grassland with few trees |
| marine west coast climate | coastal climate with mild winters and cool summers |
| Mediterranean climate | mild mid-latitude coastal climate with rainy winters and hot, dry summers |
| humid continental climate | inland mid-latitude climate with cold winters and short, hot summers |
| humid subtropial climate | rainy mid-latitude climate with hot, humid summers and short, mild winters |
| subarctic | high latitude climate with bitter cold winters and near-freezing summers |
| tundra | vast rolling plain without trees in the high latitudes |
| permafrost | permanently frozen lower layers of soil in the tundra and subarctic regions |
| steppe | dry grasslands and prairies surrounding many deserts |
| timberline | elevation above which no trees grow |
| weather | unpreditable chnges in the air that take place over a short time |
| climate | usual, predictable pattern of eather in an area over a longtime |
| tropics | areas near the Equator |
| monsoon | strong seasonal wind that blows over the continents for months at a time |
| tornado | funnel-shaped windstorm thatsometims forms during a strong thunderstorm |
| hurricane | violent tropical storm system |
| typhoon | hurricane in Asia |
| drought | long period of extreme dryness |
| El Nino | period when cold winds over the Pacific Ocean are weak, making the water warmer than usual |
| La Nina | period when cold winds over the Pacific Ocean are strong, making the water colder than usual |
| current | moving stream of watr in the ocean |
| local wind | pattern of wind caused by landforms in an area |
| rain shadow | dry area on the side of mountains facing away from the wind |
| greenhouse effect | gradual warming of the earth due to gases in the air that prevent warm air from escaping into the atmosphere |
| rain forest | dense tropical forest that receives a high amount of rain each year |
