APES Unit 4 Vocab Retention

Albedo

Ability of a surface to reflect light

rain shadow

a region with dry conditions found on the leeward side of a mountain range as a result of humid winds from the ocean causing precipitation on the windward side

Coriolis effect

The effect of Earth's rotation on the direction of winds and currents.

Watershed

An ecosystem where all water runoff drains into a single body of water

subduction zone

in tectonic plates, the site at which an oceanic plate is sliding under a continental plate.

Porosity

Percentage of open spaces between grains in a rock.

Permeability

Ability of rock or soil to allow water to flow through it

El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO)

The periodic changes in winds and ocean currents, causing cooler and wetter conditions in the southeastern United States and unusually dry weather in southern Africa and Southeast Asia.

divergent plate boundary

an area beneath the ocean where tectonic plates move away from each other

convergent plate boundary

A tectonic plate boundary where two plates collide, come together, or crash into each other.