chapter 17
Order by
16 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 biosphere | anything organic including plants, animals, humans |
| continental climates | areas with little direct ocean influence and steep temperatures |
| El Nino | a climate event that involves the atmosphere and oceans |
| global warming | is the increase in the Earth's temperature |
| greenhouse effect | is the re-emission of infrared radiation back to Earth's surface |
| jet streams | high-speed powerful air current that has affects on weather processes like storms |
| La Nina | is the opposite of El Nino; when tradewinds are strong and temperatures are colder than normal |
| latent heat | heat energy released or absorbed druing phase changes of water like melting snow or evaporation |
| lee rain shadow | a spot that has reduced precipitation on one side of a mountain range |
| maritime climate | a climate with a strong ocean influence |
| sea breeze | blows from the water toward the land in the afternoon when the land is warmer than the water |
| subtropical highs | stable belts of high pressure near latitudes of 30 degrees |
| temperature inversion | increases temperature with height, is stable in air, and resists the rising motion needed to form clouds or to disperse air pollution |
| troposphere | a layer extending 30 km above Earth's surface |
| weather fronts | air masses that interact in zones |
| westerlies | winds that blow from the west in the middle of latitudes and trade winds which blow from the east they are in the tropics |
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