World Geography chapter 3- Climate, Environment, and Resources – Flashcards
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What is weather?
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short term changes in the air for a given place and time
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What is climate?
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average weather conditions in a region
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What are prevailing winds?
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winds that blow in the same direction over large areas over Earth
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What are ocean currents?
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large streams over surface sea water that moves heat around Earth
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What is a front?
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places where two air masses of different temperatures meet
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What are the factors of weather?
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sun, location, wind, water, mountains
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What is another definition for weather?
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the temperature and precipitation from hour to hour
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What is another definition for climate?
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expected weather based on data and experience
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Does air have weight? If so, is cold air or warm air heavier?
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yes, and cold air is heavier than warm
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What happens as warm air rises?
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cold air takes its place and this creates wind
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Of warm air and cold air, which one rises and which one sinks?
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warm air rises and cold air sinks
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The rotation of the Earth causes wind to do what?
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move east or west
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Ocean currents carry what?
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air
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How does water affect temperature?
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water heats and cools slower than land and this causes the temperature to be milder
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In what ways does wind affect climate?
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warmer, colder, wetter, drier
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What is special about a coastal regions climate?
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don't have as wide temperature ranges
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What is the difference between typhoons and hurricanes?
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Typhoons are in the Pacific and hurricanes are in the Atlantic
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What happens when cold air and warm air collide?
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Storms are created
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What are storm surges?
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Tall walls of water
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How can storms affect coastal areas?
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They can wipe out entire areas
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What are temperature and precipitation combined?
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Climate
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What do mountains cause air to do?
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Air to rise in cool
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What does cooled and risen air cause?
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Rain
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What is a rainshadow?
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A dry area on a mountain away from the wind
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What is environment?
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Surroundings
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What are ecosystems?
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A group of plants and animals that depend on each other in the environment
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What is a habitat?
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A place where plants and animals live
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What does extinct mean?
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To die
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What is humus?
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Matter that is decayed plants and animals
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What is desertification?
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The spread of desert like conditions
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What is the gulf stream?
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A warm current that flows north along the US East Coast and flows east across the Atlantic forming the North Atlantic drift
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What is the location of humid tropical climate?
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On and near the equator
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What are the characteristics of humid tropical climate?
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Warm, hi am ounce of rain in monsoons, frogs and different jungle plants,
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What are the characteristics of tropical savanna climate?
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It is in higher latitudes in the tropics, warm all year, distinct rainy and dry seasons, up to 20 inches of rain in summer, zebras, tall grasses and scattered trees
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What are the characteristics of desert climate?
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Mainly center on 30° latitude, also in the middle of continents, In west coast or rainshadows,sunny, hot and tropics, cool with wide daytime ranges, less than 10 inches of rain, cactus, dingo
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What are the characteristics of Steppe climate?
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Mainly bordering deserts and interiors of large continents, hot summers and cool Winters, 10 to 20 inches of rain a year, short grasses with trees in scrubs by water, fox
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What are the characteristics of a Mediterranean climate?
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West coast in middle latitudes, dry sunny warm summers, mild wetter winters, 15 to 20 inches of rain a year, rabbits, Woodlands
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What are the characteristics of a humid sub tropical climate?
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East coast in middle latitudes, humid with hot summers and mild winters, rain year round, hurricanes and typhoons, mix forests, alligators
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What are the characteristics of Marine West Coast climate?
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West coast in upper middle latitudes, cloudy mild summers, mild wetter winters, ocean influence, evergreen forests, deer
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What are the characteristics of humid continental climate?
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Cold winters, warm summers, average precipitation varies, mix forest
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What are the characteristics for sub Arctic climate?
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Higher latitudes of the interior and east coast of continents, extreme temperatures, cold winters, hot summers, little precipitation, evergreen forests, mice
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What are the characteristics for tundra climate?
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Coast in higher latitudes, cold all year, cool summers, little precipitation, permafrost, Moss and Lichens, owls
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What are the characteristics for ice Climate?
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Polar regions, freezing cold, little precipitation, no vegetation, penguins
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What are the characteristics for Highland climate?
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Hi mountain regions, wide ranges of precipitation and temperature depending on elevation, varying vegetation
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Where do you plants and animals live?
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Where there suited to the environment
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What can limit life?
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Environments
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What are parts of environments that can limit life?
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Temperature, rain, soil limit plants and animals
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What do specific plants and animals do when they are in specific places?
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They adapt to that specific place, an example is the kangaroo rat
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What are ecosystems?
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Connections between living things and environments
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What are the factors of an ecosystem?
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They can be any size, but they occur wherever air water and soil support life
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What is the role of the sun in the ecosystem?
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To provide energy for plants
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What happens what plants die (in the ecosystems)?
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The animals eat them die and the animals that eat those animals die, and so forth
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What does decayed matter provide for the environment?
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Nutrients
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Why does an ecosystem have a fragile balance?
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One problem affects the whole ecosystem Ex- no rain=no food= no food for rabbits= rabbits die= no food for wolves= wolves die
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What happens when land is cleared?
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Erosion occurs and there are no homes for animals and plants
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What is an example of actions destroying habitats?
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Rain forests are diverse and when they are clearest, a diverse habitat is ended
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What happens when extreme actions take place?
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Extinction occurs Ex- dodos where flightless birds that were killed off
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How is balance achieved between the needs of people and ecosystem?
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Laws are passed to protect ecosystems from pollution
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Why are plants important for ecosystems?
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They are the basis for all foods and how plants will grow and what they grow is very important
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What makes fertile soil so fertile?
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Minerals and humus
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How can soil lose fertility?
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When erosions takes place, it removes the top layer and this is the fertile layer Soil becomes worn out and can't support plants and then desertification can become a problem
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What is hydroelectric power?
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Power from water
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How is hydroelectric power created?
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By moving water into dams which harnesses the power of moving water and causes no pollution but it creates lakes that remove existing resources
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How do we capture wind power?
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By using wind turbines
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What kind of energy comes from heat from earth?
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Geothermal energy
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How is geothermal energy captured?
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By using steam and hot water from with in the earth
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What is oil used for?
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Gas, diesel fuel, petrochemicals
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What are some examples of fossil fuels?
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Coal, petroleum, natural gas
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How is nuclear energy created?
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By splitting atoms and using metal uranium
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What are the pros and cons of nuclear energy?
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Pros no polluting Cons dangerous waves can be released
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What are some examples of metal resources?
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Metals, salt, rocks, gemstones
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What is a natural resource?
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A natural material used and valued by people
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What is a renewable resource?
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Resources that Earth replaces naturally
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What are nonrenewable resources?
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Resources that can't be replaced
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What is deforestation?
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Clearing of trees
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What is reforestation?
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Planting trees to replace lost forest land
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What are fossil fuels?
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Resources that are nonrenewable and are formed from remains of ancient plants and animals
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What is hydroelectric power?
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The production of electricity from water
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How can resources affect an ecomony?
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And area may have one or two valuable resources but a few others
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What is Saudi Arabians issue with resources?
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They are rich in oil but poor in water so lose most of their profit trying to bring water to the country
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How do geographers identify climates?
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By looking at temperature, precipitation, and native plant life
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What are the five general climate zones?
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Tropical, temperature, polar, dry, Highland
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What are monsoons?
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Seasonal winds that bring either dry or moist air
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What are savannas?
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Areas of tall grasses and scattered trees and shrubs
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What are steppes?
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Semi dry grasslands or prairies that often border deserts
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What does temperate mean?
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Moderate or mild
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What are taiga?
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Vast evergreen forests
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What is permafrost?
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Permanently frozen layers of soil
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What climate zones are considered dry?
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desert and steppe
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What climate zones are considered tropical?
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humid tropical and humid savanna
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What climate zones are considered temperate?
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Mediterranean, humid subtropical, marine west coast, humid continental
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What climate zones are considered polar?
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subartic, tundra, ice cap
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What climate zones are considered highland?
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highland
