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20 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Ice Age |
Period of extensive glacial coverage, producing long-term climatic changes |
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Sunspots |
Dark spot on the surface of the photosphere that typically lasts two months, occurs in pairs, and has a penumbra and an umbra |
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Solar Flare |
Violent eruption of radiation and particles from the Sun's surface that are associated with sunspots |
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Urban Dust Dome |
A meteorological phenomenon in which soot, dust, and chemical emissions become trapped in the air above urban spaces. This trapping is a product of local air circulations |
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Ocean Acidification |
A term used to describe significant changes to the chemistry of the ocean |
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Glaciation |
The process, condition, or result of being covered by glaciers or ice sheets |
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Acid Precipitation |
Any form of precipitation, including rain, snow, hail, fog, or dew, that is high in acid pollutants, especially sulfuric and nitric acid |
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Chlorofluoro Carbon |
Any of a class of compounds of carbon, hydrogen, chlorine, and fluorine, typically gases used in refrigerants and aerosol propellants |
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Koeppen Classification System |
Divides climates into five basic types, based on the mean monthly values of temperature and precipitation and types of vegetation |
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Microclimate |
Localized climate that differs from the surrounding regional climate |
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Heat Island |
Urban or metropolitan area that is significantly warmer than its surrounding rural areas due to human activities |
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El Nino |
Warm ocean current that develops off the western coast of South America and can cause short-term climatic changes felt worldwide |
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la Nina |
A cooling of the water in the equatorial Pacific that occurs at irregular intervals and is associated with widespread changes in weather patterns complementary to those of El Niño, but less extensive and damaging in their effects |
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Greenhouse Effect |
Natural heating of Earth's surface by certain atmospheric gases, which help keep Earth warm enough to sustain life |
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Global Warming |
A gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth's atmosphere generally attributed to the greenhouse effect caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons, and other pollutants |
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Urbanization |
The process of making an area more urban |
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Climate |
The weather conditions prevailing in an area in general or over a long period |
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Polar Zone |
The part of the Earth's surface forming a cap over a pole; characterized by frigid climate |
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Temperate Zone |
Each of the two belts of latitude between the torrid zone and the northern and southern frigid zones |
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Tropical Zone |
The part of the Earth's surface between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn; characterized by a hot climate |
