Geography Chpts 1-3
Terms
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- tropical rainforest climate
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hot and wet throughout the year
average temp- 80 F
thick vegetation - tropical savanna climate
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dry season in winter and wet season in summer
further from the equater that trop. rain forest
high temps - desert climate
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dry, sparse plant life
> 10 inches of rain
underground springs may support and oasis
hot during the day, cold at night - steppe climate
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dry areas, often bordering deserts
10-20 inches of rain
bushes, short grasses - marine west coast climate
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western coastlines between 30 and 60 degrees north and south
ocean winds produce cool summers and mild but damp winters
rainfall quite heavy in places
supports both evergreen and deciduous trees - mediterranean climate
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areas that have weather patterns and vegetation like those near the Mediterranean Sea
coastal lands between latitudes 30 and 40 degrees
mild, rainy winters and hot, sunny summers
woody bushes, short trees - humid subtropical climate
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generally found at mid-latitudes in the southeastern parts of continents.
a pattern of wind and high pressure related to nearby oceans causes high humidity.
rain falls throughout the year. thunderstorms in the summer
winters- short and mild
grasslands and forests - himid continental climate
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mid-latitude
the farther north one travels in hmid continental climate regions, the longer and more severe the snowy winters and the shorter and cooler the summers
located only in Northern Hemisphere - Mid- Latitude Climates
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marine west coast
Mediterranean
humid subtropical
humid continental - high latitdue climates
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subarctic
tundra
ice cap - subarctic climate
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just south of the Arctic Circle
below freezing for half the year
winters are bitterly cold, and summers are short and cool
severe conditions limit the variety of plant life - tundra climate
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bitterly cold winters with greatly reduced sunlight
summers have constant light but little heat
lie north of the subarctic zones in the N. Hemisphere - ice cap climate
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below freezing = no vegetation
covered by snow and ice, sometimes mroe than 2 miles thick
the interior of Greenland has an ice-cap climate - highland climate
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higher altitude = cooler air
near bases of mountains- deciduous and evergreen forests
higher up- meadows with small trees and shrubs - contour lines
- on a map, lines that connect points of land at the same elevation
- chaparral
- type of vegetation made up of dense forests of shrubs and short trees, common in Mediterranean climates
- decidious trees
- usually broadleaved such as oak and maple, that lose their leaves in autumn
- doldrums
- a frequently windless area near the Equator
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fold
fault -
a bend in layers of rock, sometimes caused by plate movement
a crack or break in the eath's crust, usually caused by intense folding - great circle
- the shortest distance between any two places on the earth's surface
- leeward
- facing away from the direction from which the wind is blowing
- mixed forest
- forestland with both evergreen and deciduous trees
- oasis
- small area in deser where water and vegetation are found, usually because of underground springs
- permafrost
- permanently frozen layer of soil beneath the surface of the ground
- prairie
- an inland grassland area
- prevailing wind
- wind in a region that blows in a fairly constand directional pattern, such as the trade winds that blow toward the equator in low latitudes.
- rain shadow
- dry area found on the leeward side of a mountain range
- relief
- differences in elevation, or height, of land and landforms
- steppe
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wide grassy plains of Eurasia, stretching from the Black Sea to the
Altai Mountains; also. similar semi-arid climate regions elsewhere. - taiga
- Russian term for the vast subarctic forest, mainly evergreens, that begins where the tundra ends; also used for subarctic climate regions in general
- timberline
- elevation above which it is too cold for trees to grow
- tundra
- vast treeless plains in cold northern climates, characterized by permafrost and small, low plants such as mosses and shrubs
- windward
- facing toward the direction the wind is blowing