Ch. 4 Climate and Climate Change
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Created by:
soccergirl11 on February 3, 2009
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12 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 climate | the characteristic weather conditions in a place over a long period of time |
| latitude | the distance in degrees north or south of the equator |
| marine climate | occurs near the ocean, usually along the west coasts of continents. Temperatures do not drop very far at night. Summers and winters are mild. Marine climates recieve steady precipitation because winds blowing off the ocean bring moisture to the atmosphere. |
| continental climate | occurs in the interior of continents. Weather patterns vary in the different types of continental climates. Most have large differences between daytime and nighttime temperatures because they lack the influence of nearby oceans. Winter months are usually much colder than summer months. |
| ocean current | a stream of water that flows through an oceans in regular patterns |
| season | a period of the year. |
| climate zone | one of the major divisions in a system for classifying climates |
| microclimate | the climate of a smaller area within a subclimate |
| urban heat island | the warmer body of air over a city |
| rain shadow | the dry area on the downwind side of a mountain |
| ice age | a period of time in which huge sheets of ice spread out beyond the polar regions |
| El Niño | when weak trade winds allow warm water to flow back toward the central and eastern Pacific. The clouds and heavy rain also shift eastward, toward South America. |
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