kontinentaalsed

Kontinentaalsed is Estonian an adjective meaning continental, used to describe things that pertain to continents or to large landmasses as distinct from oceans, islands, or insular contexts. The form is the plural nominative, so it is used with plural nouns (kontinentaalsed omadused, kontinentaalsed kliimatingimused, etc.). The corresponding singular form is kontinentaalne.

Etymology and usage: the word derives from the noun kontinent (continent) followed by the suffix -aalne, which creates adjectives indicating relation or characteristic. In ordinary and scientific Estonian, kontinentaalsed is employed in geography, geology, climatology and related fields to distinguish continental-scale phenomena from marine or coastal ones. It often appears in educational texts, maps and summaries that discuss large-scale landmasses or climate patterns associated with continents.

Common domains and examples: in geography and climatology, kontintentaalne kliima (continental climate) refers to climates with large seasonal temperature differences, typically found inland away from moderating sea effects. In geology and earth science, the term may be used to describe continental features, processes or distributions that apply to continents rather than oceans. In broader discourse, kontinentaalsed omadused can describe characteristics of continental regions, such as land-based ecosystems or geologic formations.

In summary, kontinentaalsed denotes attributes connected with continents and is used across scientific and educational Estonian to contrast continental contexts with marine or insular ones.