11.1 Flashcards
biogeoclimatic zone
a region with a certain
type of plant life, soil, geography, and climate.
paleoclimatologists
People who study past climates are called
natural greenhouse effect
the absorption of thermal energy by
the atmosphere. This keeps Earth’s temperature within a certain range.
. Greenhouse gases
absorb and emit radiation as thermal energy
Three characteristics of Earth’s movement in space affect the global
climate system:
Earth’s tilt, rotation, and orbit around the Sun.
water cycle
describes the circulation of water on, above, and
below Earth’s surface
thermocline
A transition zone that e separates the cold, deep
ocean waters from the Sun-warmed surface waters
El Niño
unusually warm, a phenomenon known The warm
water can result in unusually mild weather along the coast of British
Columbia and in eastern Canada
La Niña
upwelling brings cooler-than-normal waters to the surface in the eastern
Pacific Ocean unusually cold in the
northwest
carbon cycle
maintains the balance of CO2 in the atmosphere.
Weathering
gradual physical or chemical process that breaks rock into smaller pieces.
catastrophic events
large-scale disasters
