| A | B |
|---|
| carbon cycle | carbon is transferred from Earth's interior to the atmosphere,oceans and crust and to living things |
| chlorflourocarbons | (CFCs)chlorine compounds formerly used in air conditioners,refrigerators,and spray cans |
| climate | the average,year-after-year conditions of temperature,precipitation,winds, and clouds in an area |
| continental climate | the climate of the centers of continents,with cold winters and warm or hot summers |
| desert | a region that gets fewer than 25 centimeters of rain a year (2) an area in which the yearly amount of evaporation is greater than the amount of precipitation |
| global warming | a gradual increase in the temperature of Earth's atmosphere |
| greenhouse gas | gasses in the atmosphere that trap heat |
| El Nino | an event that occurs every two to seven years in the Pacific Ocean,causing changes in winds,currents,and weather patterns that can cause dramatic climate changes |
| humid subtropical | a wet and warm climate area on the edge of the tropics |
| ice age | cold time periods in Earth's history,during which glaciers covered large parts of the surface |
| leeward | the downwind side of mountains |
| marine climate | the climate of some coastal regions,with relatively warm winters and cool summers |
| microclimate | the climate of a small, specific area;it may be different from the climate of the surrounding area |
| ozone | a form of oxygen that has three oxygen atoms in each molecule instead of the usual two;can be toxic |
| ozone layer | the layer of the atmosphere that contains a higher concentration of ozone than the rest of the atmosphere |
| permafrost | soil that is frozen all year;found in the tundra climate region |
| polar zones | the areas near both poles,from about 66.5 degrees to 90 degrees north and 66.5 degrees to 90 degrees south latitudes |
| photosynthesis | the process by which plants and some organisms capture light energy and use it to make food from carbon dioxide and water |
| rain forest | a forest in the tropical wet climate zone that gets plenty of rain all year |
| savanna | a tropical grassland with scattered clumps of trees;found in the tropical wet-and-dry climate zone close to the equator |
| steppe | a prairie or grassland found in the semiaris climate region |
| subarctic | a climate zone that lies north of the humid continental climate zone,with short,cool summers and long,bitterly cold winters |
| sunspot | darker,cooler regions on the surface of the sun |
| temperate zone | the area between the tropical and polar zones |
| tundra | a polar climate region,found across northern Alaska, Canada, and Russia, with short cool summers and bitterly cold winters, or a similar extremely cold,dry biome |
| windward | the side of mountains that face the oncoming wind |
| tropical zone | the area near the equator, between about 23.5 degrees north latitude and 23.5 degrees south latitude |
