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Climate describes the average conditions of the atmosphere in a large region over 30 years or more. Includes such characteristics as clouds and precipitation, average temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, solar radiation, and win. Can refer to conditions in a region as small as an island or to conditions across an entire planet. Biogeoclimatic zone Region with a certain type of plant life, soil, geography, and climate. Paleoclimatologists People who study past climates. Look at the long-term patterns in vast regions to help them describe Earth's climate. Natural greenhouse effect The absorption of thermal energy by the atmosphere. This keeps earth's temperature within a certain range. Greenhouse gases absorb and emit radiation as thermal energy. Water cycle describes the circulation of water on, above, and below Earth's surface. At different stages in the cycle, waters state changes. Thermocline transition zone; separates the cold, deep ocean waters from the Sun-warmed surface waters. In this zone, water temperatures drop rapidly. El Nino Periodically, surface waters off the coast of Ecuador and Peru get unusually warm La Nina upwelling brings cooler-than-normal waters to the surface in the eastern Pacific Ocean. El Nino-Southern Oscillation(ENSO) a system of ocean and atmosphere changes in the tropical pacific region including el Niño and la Niña events. Carbon cycle Maintains the balance of CO2 in the atmosphere. Weathering a gradual physical or chemical process that breaks rock into smaller pieces. Carbon sources release CO2. Catastrophic events large-scale disasters. (e.g. large volcanic eruptions). Carbon sink a body or process (e.g., plants, oceans, and soil) that removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and stores it