| A | B |
|---|
| vegetation | plant life |
| water vapor | water if the form of a gas |
| water cycle | movement of water from the ocean to the air to the ground and back to the ocean |
| evaporation | water turns from liquid to a gas |
| condensation | water changes from a gas to a liquid |
| groundwater | water that fills cracks and holes in rock layers beneath the surface |
| aquifer | rock layer through which water flows |
| weather | changes in the air during a short time |
| climate | usual pattern of weather over a long time |
| tropics | area between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn |
| current | moving stream of water in the ocean |
| hurricane | violent tropical storm that forms over the Atlantic Ocean |
| typhoon | hurricane that forms in the Pacific Ocean |
| monsoon | seasonal wind pattern |
| rain shadow | dry area on the inland side of a mountain |
| Gulf Stream | warm ocean current that warms northwestern Europe |
| precipitation | rain, snow, sleet, hail |
| rain forest | lush dense vegetation found in the tropics |
| savanna | broad tropical grassland with few trees |
| marine west coast | rainy, mild winters and cool summers |
| Mediterranean | mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers |
| humid continental | cold, snowy winters and hot summers |
| humid subtropical | hot, humid summers and short, mild winters |
| tundra | vast Arctic plain without trees |
| permafrost | permanently frozen soil layers |
| elevation | height above sea level |
| timberline | elevation above which no trees grow |
| steppe | partly dry grasslands which surround deserts |
| Amazon River basin | area with the world's largest rain forest |
| Mediterranean Sea | body of water found between Europe and Africa |
| Arctic Circle | 66 1/2 degrees north latitude |
| Antarctica | world's coldest and windiest area |
| desert | driest climate region |
| tornado | funnel shaped wind storm |
| collection | streams and rivers carry water back to the ocean |
| glacier | mass of ice made from fresh water |
| drought | long period of extreme dryness |
| El Nino | warm waters in eastern Pacific about every three years |
| La Nina | eastern winds cool the Pacific |
| local wind | caused by conditions in a particular area |
| greenhouse effect | gases create a warming of the atmosphere |
