| TERM/PHRASE | CLASSIFICATION | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|---|
| Albedo | is a radiation value | which indicates the amount of incoming solar radiation that is reflected by a surface |
| Annual Temperature Range | is a temperature value | which indicates the difference between the average temperature of the warmest month and the average temperature of the coolest month |
| Celsius | is a type of temperature scale | which uses 100 degrees for boiling and 0 degrees for freezing of water |
| Chinook | is a type of wind | which descends a leeward side of a mountain, heating the air very quickly; means 'snow eater' |
| Climagraph | is a type of graph | that combines a line and bar graph to show the average monthly temperature and precipitation figures for a location |
| Climate | is the general term for | the long-term pattern of weather conditions |
| Continental Climate | is a type of climate | which has a large range between the maximum and minimum monthly temperatures, and is usually found toward the center of large land masses |
| Convectional Precipitation | is a type of precipitation | that occurs when moist air, warmed by the surface of the ground, rises, cools, and cannot hold the moisture which falls as precipitation |
| Convergence Zone | is an area of the Earth | at which air masses converge in the lower atmosphere, such as the Polar Front and the Intertropical Convergence Zone |
| Coriolis Effect | is a force | which deflects moving ojects to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere, and which is brought on by the rotation of the earth from west to east |
| Degree Days | is an indicator for | the growing season for plants measured by the difference between the mean daily temperature and the plant growth temperature of 5.5 degrees C |
| Fahrenheit | is a type of temperature scale | which uses 212 degrees for boiling and 32 degrees for freezing of water |
| Frost Free Period | is a value | which indictaes the total number of days between the last expected frost in the spring and the first expected frost in the fall |
| Growing Season | is an indicator for | the number of days in the year with an average temperature above 5.5 degrees C |
| Hythergraph | is a type of graph | which has monthly temperatures plotted on a grid against monthly precipitation |
| Isotherm | is a type of isoline | which joins points of equal temperature |
| Maritime Climate | is a type of climate | which is strongly influenced by closeness to the ocean, with an annual temperature range that tends to be small and a precipitation that is high |
| Monsoon | is a term for seasonal winds | which reverse their direction with the seasons bringing wet and dry conditions depending on their directions |
| Polar Climatic Zone | is an area of the earth | which is north of the Arctic Circle and south of the Antarctic Circle, having cool or cold temperatures all year |
| Rainshadow | is a climatic term for | the dry area on the leeward side of a land mass |
| Temperate Climatic Zone | is an area of the earth | which is between 23 1/2 degrees and 66 1/2 degrees north and south, having warm or hot summers and cool or cold winters |
| Temperature | is an element of climate | which measures the degree of heat or cold in the atmosphere |
| Temperature Index | is a comparative value | which indicates the number of degrees above or below a base temperature, such as a long-term average |
| Tropical Climatic Zone | is an area of the earth | which is between 23 1/2 degrees north and south, having warm or hot temperatures all year |
| Westerlies | is the general climatic term for | the wind system blowing from west to east between the latitudes of 35 and 65 degrees N. |
| Windward | is a geographic position | which is on the side of a relief feature that faces the prevailing winds |