Climate Types Climate Factors Hot or Cold? Tracking Changes

The sun’s rays hit the surface the least direct (at the greatest angle) in this temperature zone What is the polar zone? Category 1 Question 1

Also referred to as landlocked climates, these regions typically have colder winters and hotter summers What are continental climates? Category 1 Question 2

These arid regions get less than 25 cm of rain each year What are deserts? Category 1 Question 3

Dense forests in which plenty of rain falls year-round What are rainforests? Category 1 Question 4

A semi-arid region that gets just enough rainfall for short grasses and low bushes to grow What is a steppe? Category 1 Question 5

Generally speaking, the further you get from this, the lower the temperature will be What is the equator? Category 2 Question 1

The climate of a region is determined by these two things What are temperature and precipitation? Category 2 Question 2

Prevailing winds and the presence of mountain ranges are the two main factors that affect this What is precipitation? Category 2 Question 3

A small area with specific climate conditions that don’t necessarily fit others in the surrounding region What is a microclimate? Category 2 Question 4

This climate type in the polar zone has temperatures always at or below freezing; the land is covered with ice and snow What are ice caps? Category 2 Question 5

The gradual increase in the temperature of Earth’s atmosphere What is global warming? Category 3 Question 1

Gasses in the atmosphere that trap heat What are greenhouse gasses? Category 3 Question 2

Permanently frozen soil found in the tundra What is permafrost? Category 3 Question 3

Glacial episodes in which large portions of the planet are covered in ice What are ice ages? Category 3 Question 4

These are the main cause of ozone depletion What are chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)? Category 3 Question 5

Because this is tilted, most regions on Earth have seasons What is Earth’s axis? Category 4 Question 1

The south end of Earth’s axis is tilted toward the sun in this month (when it’s winter it the Northern Hemisphere) What is December? Category 4 Question 2

A thin tree ring would indicate that a year was this What is cool or dry? Category 4 Question 3

Short-term changes in climate have been linked to this activity on the sun (they increase and decrease in 11 year cycles) What are sunspots? Category 4 Question 4

Category 4 Question 5 For the same type of plants and animals to thrive, this is needed What are similar climate conditions?