Climate Vocabulary

Word Definition Image

climate The weather conditions prevailing in an 

area in general or over a long period.

tropical Typical of, or peculiar to the tropics.

temperate Relating to or denoting a region or climate 

characterized by mild temperatures.

polar Relating to the North or South Pole.

climate zone Divisions of the Earth's climates

global winds The surface winds of each 

hemisphere

surface winds Winds affected by friction. 

Coriolis effect An effect whereby a mass moving in a 

rotating system.

jet stream A narrow variable band of very strong 

predominantly westerly air currents.

California California Current moves south along 

current the western coast of North America.

ocean current Ocean current is any more or less 

permanent.

surface current The water at the ocean surface.

Gulf Stream A warm ocean current of the northern 

Atlantic Ocean off eastern North 
America.

Ocean The action of wind on the surface of 

convection the water.
cycle

Density A turbidity current is a 

currents gravity-controlled density current.
El Nino An irregularly occurring and complex 
series of climatic changes affecting the 
equatorial Pacific region

topography The arrangement of the natural and 

artificial physical features of an area.

Local climate Particular zone can thus be 

considerably different of the general 
climate

albedo The proportion of the incident light or 

radiation that is reflected by a surface

Urban heat An urban heat island is an urban area or 

island metropolitan area.

microclimate The climate of a very small or restricted 

area.

deforestations The action of clearing a wide area of 

trees.

Ice age A glacial episode during a past geological 

period.

Climate change A change in global or regional climate 

patterns.

Global warming A gradual increase in the overall 

temperature of the earth's atmosphere 

Enhanced
greenhouse
effect