TROPICS

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does tropics mean? 

• TROPICS (noun)
  The noun TROPICS has 1 sense:

1. the part of the Earth's surface between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn; characterized by a hot climate

  Familiarity information: TROPICS used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• TROPICS (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The part of the Earth's surface between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn; characterized by a hot climate

Classified under:

Nouns denoting spatial position

Synonyms:

Torrid Zone; tropical zone; tropics

Instance hypernyms:

climatic zone (any of the geographical zones loosely divided according to prevailing climate and latitude)

Derivation:

tropic (relating to or situated in or characteristic of the tropics (the region on either side of the equator))

 Context examples 

"Like trimming cargo in the tropics," Martin said, when they went upstairs.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

"This is a big problem because the majority of plant and animal species occur in the tropics," Román-Palacios said.

(One-third of plant and animal species could be gone in 50 years, National Science Foundation)

That's because these models underestimate decreases in high clouds over the tropics seen in recent NASA observations.

(NASA Data Suggest Future May Be Rainier Than Expected, NASA)

Most of these countries are in the tropics and subtropics.

(Leishmaniasis, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

During an El Niño event, warm sea surface temperatures spread across the tropics.

(Ocean temperatures may hold key to predicting tornado outbreaks, NOAA)

Ancient Venus had more dry land overall than Earth, especially in the tropics.

(NASA Climate Modeling Suggests Venus May Have Been Habitable, NASA)

Over the tropics, water vapor and ultraviolet sunlight are plentiful.

(Greenhouse Gas ‘Detergent’ Recycles Itself in Atmosphere, NASA)

The world's forests are increasingly taking up more carbon, partially offsetting the carbon being released by the burning of fossil fuels and by deforestation in the tropics, according to a new study.

(World's forests increasingly taking up more carbon, National Science Foundation)

"We've had this western conceit that complex civilizations can't flourish in the tropics, that the tropics are where civilizations go to die," Canuto told National Geographic.

(Hidden Mayan Civilization Revealed in Guatemala Jungle, VOA)

The study by researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) examined deforestation in more than 50 countries in the tropics between 2000—2012, and identified regions where deforestation is most and least beneficial.

(Most countries lose out with forest-to-farm conversions, SciDev.Net)