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Wake Acceleration Academy

Earth & Environmental Science: Semester B Note Guide Unit 1: The Weather and Climate

Extra Resources Website: http://waa-science.weebly.com

Module 1: The Uneven Heating of Earth Uneven Heating of Land and Water

1. On a hot summer day which feel warmer to bare feet: pool water or the concrete beside the pool?

2. Where is air cooler: at the top of a mountain or at the bottom?

Vocabulary Word Definition

Air Pressure

3. Fill in the blanks! Air tends to move from an area of ___________ pressure to an area of ______ pressure.

4. Fill in the blanks! ______ air sinks while ______ air rises because ______ air is denser than ______

air. When a lot of cold air sinks, it creates an area of ______ air pressure where it hits the

surface. This ______ pressure air flows to an area of ______ pressure, creating ______. When this air

______, it rises up into the atmosphere.

5. How does temperature change as altitude increases (higher in the sky)?

Density

Weather

6. Water has a higher heat capacity than land. Define heat capacity below:

Heat Capacity

7. Fill in the blanks! Water needs to absorb ______ heat than land to raise its temperature.

8. What is the unit for heat capacity?

9. The table shows the specific heat of four substances. The substances are exposed to the Sun for the same

length of time. Arrange them in order beginning with the substance that will heat up the fastest.

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10. Why does a substance with a lower specific heat, heat up faster?

Sea Breeze

Land Breeze

Earth’s Rotation and Wind

Climate

Latitude

Using the image….,

11. Where does the sun’s rays hit the most directly (at a

right angle)?

Does this create a climate that is hot or cold?

12. Where does the sun’s rays hit at an angle?

Does this create a climate that is hot or cold?

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13. What are the three climate zones?

14. Which region is the coldest with short

summers and long cold winters?

15. Looking at the image, in which zone to

we live?

16. Which zone is the warmest because it

receives direct sunlight?

Prevailing Winds

Latitude

Coriolis Effect

Lesson Activity (Slide 30)

17. Study the diagram. Notice

that winds blow in different

directions depending on

their latitude.

What is the name for the

winds above 0° latitude?

What is the name for the

winds above 30°N latitude?

You can’t see it on the

image, but the winds above

60° N latitude are called

polar winds.

Ocean Currents

Current

Surface Current

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18. Surface currents are controlled by the wind. What are currents deep in the ocean controlled by?

Salinity

19. Complete the diagram below by filling in the boxes with their proper labels (Slide 34)

20. Use the table below to summarize the information on slide 35 about the different processes on the Earth that

affect the salinity of the ocean.

Process Summary

Evaporation of Seawater

Freezing Seawater

Melting Ice

Rain and Snow

21. Ocean water can vary in density based on salinity and temperature. Under which condition of salinity and

temperature will ocean water be very dense and sink?

Gulf Stream

22. Why is Europe warm even though it is located very far north of the Equator?

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Module 2: The Mechanics of Weather Vocabulary Word Definition

Water Cycle

Precipitation

Sleet

1. As a review label the parts of

the water cycle in the diagram to

the right.

Humidity

Relative Humidity

2. Use the graph on slide #9, does maximum humidity increase or decrease with warmer temperatures?

Does maximum humidity increase or decrease with colder temperatures?

Do you expect to have high humid days during the summer or the winter? Why?

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3. Complete the formula below for relative humidity:

4. When the weather is humid, there is less evaporation. How does your skin feel on humid days?

Practice Question! Use the formula on the previous page and the provided graph to assist you.

Dew Point

5. Complete the table below to describe the different conditions of dew formation.

Temperature…. When air reaches its dew point, what happens to water vapor?

Above 0°C

Below 0°C

falls below the dew point

6. How do clouds form?

7. How does fog form?

This sample of air at 35°C and 60% relative humidity holds ______ grams/cubic meter of water vapor.

The same sample of air at 40°C can hold a maximum of 50 grams/cubic meter of water vapor. If the air currently holds 30 grams/cubic meter, then its relative humidity is _______%.

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8. Complete the table to summarize the different types of clouds.

Type of Cloud Altitude

Found (meters) Appearance

(Words &/or Sketch) Weather Associated

Cirrus

Stratus Clouds

Cumulus Clouds Small:

Large:

Fog Ground Level Looks like a cloud on the

ground

humid conditions

9. Summarize how a thunderstorm is made.

Thunder

10. What are the temperature conditions for it to rain?

Snow?

Freezing Rain

11. Identify the forms of precipitation:

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High-Pressure

Systems

Low-Pressure

Systems

12. What is the symbol for high pressure systems?

13. What is the symbol for low-pressure systems?

14. Which type of pressure system brings stormy conditions?

15. Look at the diagram to the right. In which direction does “ground” wind

blow: High to Low Pressure –or– Low to High Pressure?

Air Masses

Air Pressure

16. List five examples of air masses (use the diagram on slide 25).

Front

17. Fill in the table below to summarize the properties of different weather fronts.

Type of Front Which Two Air Masses

Collide?

Prediction for Weather? Symbol on Weather Map?

Cold Front

Warm Front

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Occluded

Front

Stationary

Front

Hurricanes

Tornadoes

18. In the United States, where do hurricanes most often occur?

19. Summarize the five steps on how a hurricane forms.

20. Why does a hurricane become weak as soon as it hits lands?

21. Complete the table below by summarizing the main points on how a tornado forms. The first row has been

done for you as an example.

Necessary Conditions Tornadoes need intense heat to form

Increased Temperature

A Thundercloud Develops

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A Storm Develops

A Tornado Funnel Forms

Size and Duration

Intensity and Destruction

22. What is the nickname given for the area central United States that is likely to get tornadoes?

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Module 3: Collecting Data about Weather

Vocabulary

Word Diagram Definition

Thermometer

Wind Vane

1. Meteorologists are scientists that study the weather. What are the two main factors that influence weather?

Surface Report

Upper Air

Report

Weather

Balloon

2. The two common units used to measure temperature are degrees Celsius CO and degrees Fahrenheit F

O.

Complete the table below concerning water:

Celsius CO Fahrenheit F

O

Water Freezes

Water Boils

3. Convert 50°F to degrees Celsius. Show you work below.

Barometer

Units: inches of mercury, abbreviated: inHg

4. What type of weather can you expect if the pressure is low, drops below 29.92 inHg?

5. What type of weather can you expect if the pressure is high, rises above 29.92 inHg?

6. Fill in the Blank! Wind always moves from an area of __________ pressure to an area of _________

pressure. Depending on its strength, wind is classified as a __________, or __________.

Gusts

7. What is an anemometer used for?

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Knots

8. An anemometer reads a wind speed of 35 miles/hour. Find the value in knots. (One knot is about the same as

1.15 miles per hour.)

Formulas:

Knots = Miles per Hour ÷ 1.15

Miles per Hour = Knots x 1.15

Rain Gauge

9. What is the difference between absolute humidity and relative humidity?

Hygrometer

Sling

Psychrometer

10. Fill in the blanks! A _________ temperature difference between the two bulbs means the relative humidity is

_______. A _________ difference means the relative humidity is _________. If the relative humidity is

________, then the water from the _________ bulb doesn’t evaporate.

11. Probability is the chance that something will happen. Sean has a bag with 15 marbles. Six of the marbles are

red, and 9 are blue. If Sean draws one marble from the bag, the probability of drawing a red marble is ___%.

12. Which color on a Doppler radar weather map means the most

extreme storm?

What does the color red represent?

How about light blue?

Doppler Radar

Weather

Satellites

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13. What are the two types of weather satellites?

14. What does the letter H represent on a weather map? What does the letter L represent on a weather map?

Isobars

Note: There are several units of pressure. Examples include the millibar(mb) and inches of

mercury (inHg). A system is L if its pressure is under 1020 millibars or 29.9inHg and H if above.

15. Complete the table below on weather symbols for cloudy skies by sketching the circle appropriately.

Cloudless

Sky

Very

Cloudy

Sky

Clear Sky

Overcast

Sky

Slightly

Covered

Sky

Obscured

Sky

Cloudy Sky

16. A line is added to a cloud circle to represent wind direction. Perpendicular lines represent the speed of the

wind. Complete the table below of the different wind speed symbols.

Microbiologist

17. How do microbes in the atmosphere influence weather?

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Additional Information:

Low pressure systems form clouds and can

bring storms. One example of a severe storm is a

hurricane that has very high winds.

High pressure systems bring sunny days with

little precipitation.

Air Pressure is the greatest at sea level

(ground) and goes down with increasing altitude

Water freezes at 0°C

Hurricane Viewed From Above:

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Module 4: Earth’s Structures and Climate

Vocabulary Word Definition

Climate

1. What effect does cold water currents have on the climate of the coasts?

Monsoon

2. Why does the shape of India help create the monsoon winds?

3. San Diego is close to the ocean, but Dallas is

landlocked. Using the map on the right, what

do you think the term “landlocked” means?

4. Which city, San Diego or Dallas,

experiences hotter summers?

5. Why does the other city have moderate

temperatures?

6. In general, which city would you expect to receive more rainfall: San Diego or Dallas? Why?

7. However, the opposite of your expectation is true! Why is this?

Lake-Effect Snow

8. What are the names of the five Great Lakes in the United States?

9. What are the names of the eight states that border the Great Lakes and receive lake-effect snow?

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10. Fill in the Blanks! Outlining the steps in how the lake-effect snow occurs. Include a small sketch in the box

provided.

1 _______ air from the land blows over _______ lake waters.

2 These _______ waters heat up the lower part of the cold air.

3 As the air heats up, more water from the lake _______s.

4 _______ air is lighter than dry air, so it _______.

5 As the air moves upward, it begins to _______.

6 moisture that’s in the air ________________to form thick _______

7 Because the temperature is _______, the moisture will precipitate as _______

11. When does the lake-effect snow stop?

Altitude

12. How does temperature change as altitude increases? Why?

Conduction

13. As altitude increases, the density of air decreases “thin air.” Will you find more oxygen at the base of a

mountain or at the top of the mountain?

14. Why does the city of Mount Laguna have a cooler climate than the nearby city of San Diego?

15. Complete the sketch below by matching the temperatures and the images of air density with the altitudes on

the mountain.

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Rain Shadow

16. Label the diagram below to display the key factors into creating a rain shadow:

Windward Side

Leeward Side

17. Which side of the mountain is wetter? Which side of the mountain is drier?

18. How are mountain species responding to warmer global temperatures?