| A | B |
|---|
| weather | the state of the atmosphere at a given time and place |
| Greenhouse effect | the phenomenon whereby the earth's atmosphere traps solar radiation, caused by the presence in the atmosphere of gases such as carbon dioxide, water vapor, and methane that allow incoming sunlight to pass through but absorb heat radiated back from the earth's surface |
| revolution | orbital motion about a point, especially as distinguished from axial rotation |
| Tropic of Cancer | the parallel of latitude 23°27 north of the equator, the northern boundary of the Torrid Zone, and the most northerly latitude at which the sun can shine directly overhead |
| spring/fall equinoxes | March 21 and September 22 |
| precipitation | any form of water, such as rain, snow, sleet, or hail, that falls to the earth's surface |
| orographical precipitation | when warm moist air is forced upward when passing over high landforms, causing precipitation |
| evaporation | the process by which any substance is converted from a liquid state into, and carried off in, vapor |
| atmosphere | the gaseous mass or envelope surrounding a celestial body, especially the one surrounding the earth, and retained by the celestial body's gravitational field |
| rotation | the act or process of turning around a center or an axis |
| length of a year | the period of time during which Earth completes a single revolution around the sun, consisting of 365 days, 5 hours, 49 minutes, and 12 seconds of mean solar time. In the Gregorian calendar the year begins on January 1 and ends on December 31 and is divided into 12 months, 52 weeks, and 365 or 366 days |
| Tropic of Capricorn | the parallel of latitude 23°27 south of the equator, the southern boundary of the Torrid Zone, and the most southerly latitude at which the sun can shine directly overhead |
| climate zones: tropical, temperate, polar (latitudes) | (Tropical): 23 1/2 degrees N and S of the equator,(Temperate): 23 1/2 dgrees N to 66 1/2 degrees N, (Polar): 66 1/2 degrees N to 66 1/2 degrees S |
| water cycle | the cycle of evaporation and condensation that controls the distribution of the earth's water as it evaporates from bodies of water, condenses, precipitates, and returns to those bodies of water |
| frontal precipitation | occurs when two fronts of different temperatures meet |
| 3 influences on climate | temperature, precipitation, and wind |
| climate | the meteorological conditions, including temperature, precipitation, and wind, that characteristically prevail in a particular region |
| axis | a straight line about which a body or geometric object rotates or may be conceived to rotate |
| leap year - date | a year in the Gregorian calendar having 366 days, with the extra day, February 29, intercalated to compensate for the quarter-day difference between an ordinary year and the astronomical year |
| summer/winter solstice | (Summer):in the Northern Hemisphere, the solstice that occurs on or about June 21 and (Winter): in the Northern Hemisphere, the solstice that occurs on or about December 22 |
| convectional precipitation | occurs when hot, humid air rises from the Earth's surface and cools |
| fronts | air masses |
