World Geography - Chapter 3 - Notes

Front 1

condition of the atmosphere in one place during a short period of time

Back 1

• Weather

Front 2

weather patterns that an area typically experiences during a long period of time

Back 2

• Climate

Front 3

imaginary line that runs through the Earth's center between the North Pole and South Pole

Back 3

• Axis

Front 4

Earth's Axis is tilted at a ____ degree angle

Back 4

23 1/2

Front 5

measure of hot and cold

Back 5

• Temperature

Front 6

Earth completes one rotation on it's axis every 24 hours from _____ to ____

Back 6

west to east

Front 7

a trip around the sun, which takes 1 year or 365 1/4 days

Back 7

• Earth's Revolution

Front 8

sun is directly over the equator and days and nights are equal in length

Back 8

• Equinox

Front 9

the start of spring in north hemisphere

Back 9

• Spring Equinox (March 21)

Front 10

the start of fall

Back 10

• Fall Equinox (September 23)

Front 11

sun is directly of the Tropics of Cancer or Capricorn

Back 11

• Solstice

Front 12

start of summer in the northern hemisphere; longest day of sunlight

Back 12

• Summer solstice (June 21)

Front 13

start of winter; shortest day of sunlight

Back 13

• Winter solstice (December 22)

Front 14

when the atmosphere traps heat from the sun near the Earth's surface

Back 14

• Greenhouse Effect

Front 15

Types of climate a place has depends on:

Back 15

•Latitude
•Elevation
•Wind and Ocean Currents
•Landforms

Front 16

receive direct sun rays year round; very hot and often called the tropics

Back 16

• Low Latitudes (0 to 23 1/2 N and S)

Front 17

receives slanted rays year round; cold climate

Back 17

• Middle Latitude (23 1/2 to 66 1/2 M and S

Front 18

ranges from fairly hot to fairly cold; usually hot in summer and cold in winter

Back 18

• Temperature climate

Front 19

for every 1,000 feet of elevation, the temperature drops 3.5 degrees Fahrenheit

Back 19

• Normal Lapse Rate

Front 20

air moving across the Earth's surface

Back 20

• Wind

Front 21

winds that blow in fairly constant patterns

Back 21

• Prevailing Winds

Front 22

frequently windless area near the equator caused by trade winds that cancel each other out

Back 22

• Doldrums

Front 23

rivers of seawater that flows in oceans

Back 23

• Ocean Currents

Front 24

Currents _________ in the Northern Hemisphere

Back 24

clockwise

Front 25

Currents ________________ in the Southern Hemisphere

Back 25

counterclockwise

Front 26

Currents are caused by:

Back 26

•Rotation of the earth
•Moving air
•Differences in water temperature

Front 27

falling of moisture to the earth caused by the interaction of water and winds with temperature

Back 27

• Precipitation

Front 28

periodic change in the pattern of ocean currents and water temperatures

Back 28

• El Nino

Front 29

side of a mountain facing the direction from which the wind is blowing

Back 29

• Windward

Front 30

side of a mountain that is dry because the air dries out as it descends

Back 30

• Leeward

Front 31

dry area on the leeward side of mountains

Back 31

• Rain shadow

Front 32

plant life that grows in an area if the natural environment has not been changed by people

Back 32

• Natural Vegetation

Front 33

hot and wet throughout the year; average temperature 80 degrees Fahrenheit; average rainfall about 80 inches a year

Back 33

• Tropical rain forest

Front 34

dry in winter and wet in summer; hot temperatures; usually found on outer edges of rain forest

Back 34

• Tropical savanna

Front 35

dry areas with sparse planet life; less than 10 inches of rain per year; can be extremely hot during the day and cold at night

Back 35

• Desert

Front 36

Deserts cover __ of the Earth's land surface

Back 36

1/5

Front 37

dry areas that border deserts; average rainfall is 10-20 inches per year; has bushes and short grasses

Back 37

• Steppe

Front 38

along western coastlines between latitudes 30 and 60. Cool summers and mild, damp winters

Back 38

• Marine West Coast

Front 39

coastal lands between latitudes 30 and 40 north and south. Mild, rainy winters and hot, sunny summers

Back 39

• Mediterranean

Front 40

mid latitudes in the southern port of continents; high humidity with rain throughout the rain and short mild winters

Back 40

• Humid subtropical

Front 41

vegetation with woody bushes and short trees

Back 41

• Chaparral

Front 42

loose their leaves in the fall

Back 42

• Deciduous trees

Front 43

those with both evergreen and deciduous trees

Back 43

• Mixed forests

Front 44

grasslands that lie inland

Back 44

• Prairie

Front 45

just below the arctic circle; average temperature below freezing half year

Back 45

• Subarctic

Front 46

frozen subsoil

Back 46

• Permafrost

Front 47

Russian word for forest

Back 47

• Taiga

Front 48

bitter cold that borders ice caps

Back 48

Tundra

Front 49

average temperature below freezing year round; no vegetation; covered by snow and ice all year

Back 49

• Ice Cap

Front 50

elevation above which it is too cold for trees to grow

Back 50

• Timberline

Front 51

haze caused by ultraviolet radiation and automobile exhaust

Back 51

• Smog