| A | B |
|---|
| Climate | Long-term average weather conditions that occur in a particular region |
| Microclimate | Localized climate that is different than the climate of the larger area surrounding it |
| Precipitation | Water, in liquid or solid form, that falls from the atmosphere |
| Rain Shadow | Area of low rainfall on the downwind slope of a mountain |
| Specific Heat | Amount of thermal energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 kg of a material by 1°C |
| Drought | Period with below-average precipitation |
| El Nino | Combined ocean and atmospheric cycle that results in weakened trade winds across the Pacific Ocean |
| Ice Age | Cold period, lasting hundreds to millions of years, during which glaciers cover much of Earth |
| Interglacial | Warm period that occurs during an ice age |
| Monsoon | Wind circulation pattern that changes direction with the seasons |
| Deforestation | Large-scale cutting and/or burning of forests |
| Global Climate Model | (GCM) A set of complex equations used to predict future climates |
| Global Warming | Rise in Earth’s average surface temperature during the past 100 years |
| Greenhouse Gas | A gas in the atmosphere that absorbs Earth’s outgoing infrared radiation |
