Climate Vocabulary

4. ice,masses of ice on land includes glaciers, ice sheets, ice caps, and permafrost
5. evidence,eyewitness accounts
8. use the sun's energy to convert water and carbon dioxide into sugars
10. of the geological past
12. in Earth's rotational axis
13. of orbit,Sometimes the orbit is nearly circular, sometimes elliptical
15. cycle,the movement of carbon from the nonliving environment into living things and back
18. sink,places of carbon accumulation such as in large forests (organic compounds) or ocean sediments (calcium carbonate); carbon is thus removed from the carbon cycle for moderately long to very long periods of time.
19. circulation,Movement of ocean water caused by density difference brought about by variations in temperature and salinity. As ocean water freezes at the poles it concentrates salt, and the colder, denser water sinks.
20. tilt of the Earth's axis
21. gas,gases in the atmosphere that trap energy

1. effect,The precipitation that occurs when moist air rises up the side of a mountain
2. evidence,evidence that does not involve direct observation by you
3. Lyell's idea that geologic processes have not changed throughout Earth's history.
6. Nino,an irregularly occurring and complex series of climatic changes affecting the equatorial Pacific region and beyond every few years, characterized by the appearance of unusually warm, nutrient-poor water off northern Peru and Ecuador, typically in late December.
7. shadow,A dry area on the downwind side of a mountain.
9. ice,ice that forms when sea water freezes including icebergs
11. percentage of incoming sunlight reflected from a surface
14. source,Releases more carbon into the atmosphere than it takes in
16. cycles,periodic changes in Earth's rotation and orbit around the sun
17. Nina,A cooling of the ocean surface off the western coast of South America, occurring periodically every 4 to 12 years and affecting Pacific and other weather patterns.