Transcript Science Vocab - Laconia School District

Science Vocab
By:Deann Lapointe
Climate
• The average, yearafter-year conditions
of temperature,
precipitation, winds,
and clouds in a area.
Tropical zone
• The area near the
equator between about
23.5° north latitudes
and 23.5° south
latitudes.
Polar zone
• The area near both 90°
north and 66.5° to 90
poles, from about
66.5° to °south
latitude.
Temperate zone
The area near both poles,
from about 66.5° to
90° north and 66.5° to
90°south latitude.
Maritime zone
• The climate of some
coastal regions, with
relatively warm
winters and cool
summers.
Continental climates
• The climate of the
centers of continents,
with cold winters and
warm, hot summers.
Winward
The side
of the
mountain
that faces
the
oncomin
g wind.
Leeward
• The downwind side of
the mountains.
Microclimate
• The climate
characteristics of a
small, specific area
that it may be different
from the climate of the
surrounding area.
Rain forest
• A forest in a tropical
wet climate zone that
gets plenty of rainfall
all year.
Savanna
• A tropical grassland
with scatter clumps of
trees found in the
tropical wet-dry
climate zone close to
the equator.
Desert
• A region that receives
less than 25 cm of rain
a year.
Steppe
• A prairie of grassland
found in the semiarid
climate region.
Humid subtropical
• A wet and warm area
on the edge of the
tropics.
Sub artic
• A climate zone that
lies north of the humid
continental climate
zone, with short, cool
summers and long
cold winters.
Tundra
• A polar climate region
found across northern
Alaska, Canada and
Russia with short cool
summers and cold
winters.
Permafrost
• Permantly frozen soil
found in the tundra
climate region.
Sunspots
• Dark, cooler regions
on the surface of the
sun.
Greenhouse gases
• Gases in the
atmosphere that trap
heat.
Global warming
• A gradual increase in
the temperature of
Earth’s atmosphere.
Chlorofluorocarbons
• Chlorine compounds
formerly used in the
air conditions refridge
axators, and spray
cans ; also called
CFC’s