Chapter 13-15 Definitions

Front 1

Weather

Back 1

Combination of temperature, precipitation, cloud cover, and winds experienced daily

Front 2

Climate

Back 2

Weather Conditions of a place averaged over a long period of time

Front 3

Air Mass

Back 3

Large body of air having the same moisture and temperature conditions throughout

Front 4

Prevailing Winds

Back 4

Winds that are most commonly found in an area. For example, over most of Canada, the prevailing winds are the westerlies, which blow from west to east

Front 5

Polar Front

Back 5

Stormy boundary between cold, dry polar air and warm, moist tropical air

Front 6

Jet Stream

Back 6

West to east movement of air in the mid-latitude flowing at speeds of up to 400 km/h at an altitude of between 8000 and 15 000 m

Front 7

Condensation

Back 7

Process whereby water vapour is cooled and changes from an invisible gas to liquid water. Condensed water vapour is what forms clouds.

Front 8

Relief Precipitation (also called orographic precipitation)

Back 8

Precipitation created when an air mass rises to cross a mountain barrier.

Front 9

Convectional Precipitation

Back 9

Precipitation caused on hot summer days, when heated land causes the air above it to rise by convection. As the air rises, it cools and condensation occurs. Rain or hail may fall from thunderclouds that build up.

Front 10

Continental Climate

Back 10

Climate type that develops away from the influence of the ocean. The annual temperature range tends to be large and precipitation is low

Front 11

Maritime Climate

Back 11

Climate that is strongly influenced by the closeness of an ocean or other large body of water. The annual temperature range tends to my small and the precipitation high.

Front 12

Moderating Effect

Back 12

Effect that large bodies of water have on the climate over nearby land areas. Winter temperatures are warmer and summer temperatures are cooler than areas located away from large water bodies. The result is a small annual temperature range.

Front 13

Soil

Back 13

Surface layer of Earth, composed of mineral and organic materials, air and water

Front 14

Humus

Back 14

Dark, upper layer of soil made up of partially decayed plant material

Front 15

Soil Profile

Back 15

Different horizons (layers) in the soil and the rock layer (bedrock) below the soil. Each horizon has different physical, biological, and chemical characteristics.

Front 16

Leaching

Back 16

Removal of minerals from soil by water as it moves downward through the soil. Leaching occurs in wet climates

Front 17

Calcification

Back 17

Process by which, in dry climates, water carrying dissolved minerals moves upward through the soil. At the surface, the water evaporates, leaving the minerals behind. The surface soil is then considered calcified.

Front 18

Capillary action

Back 18

Movement of water upward through small spaces, as in soil

Front 19

Tundra

Back 19

Northernmost vegetation region, found in areas to cold for trees to grow. Bushes, grasses, mosses and similar plants dominate

Front 20

Transition Zones

Back 20

Areas where the characteristics of one region gradually change into those of another

Front 21

Permafrost

Back 21

Permanently frozen ground that does not completely thaw in the summer

Front 22

Boreal and Taiga Forest

Back 22

Coniferous (needle leaved) forest that stretches from east to west across Canada, south of the tundra but north of the grasslands and mixed forest

Front 23

Coniferous Trees

Back 23

Trees with cones and often needle-like leaves; evergreen

Front 24

Deciduous Trees

Back 24

Broad-leaved trees that shed their leaves annually in the fall

Front 25

Mixed Forest

Back 25

Vegetation region that contains both coniferous and deciduous trees. It is a transition zone between the deciduous forest and the boreal forest

Front 26

Short-grass Prarie

Back 26

Type of vegetation in the Canadian prairie provinces where very little precipitation causes grasses to be shorter than in slightly wetter long-grass prairie areas

Front 27

Long-grass Prarie

Back 27

Type of vegetation in the Canadian prairie provinces where higher precipitation levels cause grasses to grow longer than in drier, short-grass prairie areas

Front 28

Parkland

Back 28

Vegetation region that is a transition zone between Grassland and Boreal Forest

Front 29

Ecozone

Back 29

A distinct ecological region determined on the basis of physical, biological, and human factors

Front 30

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita

Back 30

Total value of the goods and services produced within a country per person, excluding transactions with other countries