advancing
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growing—A glacier advances due to an increased amount of snow in the area of accumulation
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air mass
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a large body of air, covering much of a continent or an ocean, throughout which the temperature, surface pressure and humidity are fairly constant
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alpine glacier
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mountain glacier formed and advancing through a pre-existing valley
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barometer
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an instrument for measuring atmospheric pressure
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blizzard
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a wind storm in which large amounts of snow are blown into the air from the surface and carried at high speed
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centimeter (cm)
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metric measure: 1 inch = 2.54 cm
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chemist
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scientist who studies properties of substances, how they are put together, and how they react with each other
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climatology
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the scientific study of climate, which is the weather typical of a region or the entire earth over a long period
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condensation
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the change from gas to liquid
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continental glacier
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ice sheet that covers a large part of a continent and moves out in all directions from a central region of accumulation
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convection
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the transfer of heat within a gas or liquid by the movement of the gas or liquid
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cyclone
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a body of air in which the pressure is lower than that of the surrounding air; another name for a depression or low (The name cyclone is also given to hurricanes near India and Australia.)
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data
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measurements or other factual information used as a basis to develop scientific theories
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debris
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loose fragments or rock, earth and other materials
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denser
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more compact
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depression
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a region of low atmospheric pressure (also called a low or cyclone)
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diameter
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length of a straight line drawn from edge to edge through the center of a circle
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El Nino
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a warm current, occurring every few years, that flows eastward across the Pacific, just south of the equator (El Nino is associated with a weakening of the trade winds)
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equilibrium
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a state of balance between opposing forces
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erode
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wear away
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evaporation
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the change from liquid to gas
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force of gravity
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attraction of bodies toward the center of the earth
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geologist
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earth scientist; one who studies the earth and the rocks of which it is formed
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glacier
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mass of ice with limited width and direction of movement
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Greenhouse effect
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the retention and build-up of heat in the lower atmosphere due to the absorption of long-wave radiation from the earth’s surface by molecules of such gases as water, vapor, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and ozone
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habitat
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living space that supplies the needs of an animal or plant
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heat capacity
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the ratio of the amount of heat supplied to a body and the change in the temperature of the body. The higher the heat capacity, the more heat must be applied to raise the temperature.
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hurricane
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a severe tropical storm in which winds with winds in excess of 73 mph (116 km/h) blow around an area of intensely low pressure
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ice age
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span of geologic time, usually 1-3 million years, when the earth has had alternating warm and cold climates and been alternately covered and uncovered by glaciers
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iceberg
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huge mass of ice broken from a glacier, often found floating in water
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meltwater
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any water melted from snow or ice
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meteorology
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the study of all the processes that take place in the atmosphere and their relationships with processes at the surface of the earth—in particular, the study of weather
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meter
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metric measure of distance or length—1 meter = 39.37 inches
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molecule
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a chemical combination of two or more atoms (Some molecules are composed of thousands of atoms.)
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monsoon
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a seasonal change in wind direction bringing dry air or heavy rain (Monsoons affect much of southern Asia, northern Australia and western Africa.)
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precipitation
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amount of water that has fallen in the form of rain, snow, fog, hail and sleet
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receding
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melting of a glacier which makes the glacier appear to pull back or recede, especially when an alpine glacier seems to move back up the valley down which it had traveled
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sleet
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a mixture of rain and snow that falls when the temperature is around the freezing point
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storm surge
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a build-up of water levels along a coastline caused by longlasting strong winds (A storm surge coinciding with a natural high tide can cause widespread flooding.)
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tornado
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a violently rotating column of air, usually less than 330 ft. (100 m) in diameter, surrounding a core of extremely low air pressure
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typhoon
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a hurricane that occurs in eastern Asia
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