Weather vs. Climate
What term describes the daily conditions of the atmosphere, such as temperature, rain, and wind?
What is weather?
Which star provides the thermal energy that heats Earth's surface?
What is the sun?
What process changes liquid water into water vapor that rises into the atmosphere?
What is evaporation?
Which heats up and cools down more slowly: land or ocean water?
What is ocean water?
On a weather map, what symbol represents an area of high atmospheric pressure?
What is H?
What term describes the average weather conditions of an area over many years?
What is climate?
Which region receives the most direct sunlight throughout the year: the equator or the poles?
What is the equator?
What process changes water vapor into tiny liquid droplets that form clouds?
What is condensation?
What warm ocean current flows northward along the east coast of Florida?
What is the Gulf Stream?
What is the name of the fast-moving current of air high in the atmosphere that helps guide weather systems?
What is the jet stream?
A scientist studies the average number of sunny days in northern Africa each year. Is this weather or climate?
What is climate?
What happens to the temperature of ocean water as you generally move from the equator toward the poles?
What is a decrease in temperature?
What water-cycle process returns water from clouds to Earth's surface as rain, snow, sleet, or hail?
What is precipitation?
During the daytime, what is the name of the breeze that blows from the ocean toward warmer land?
What is the sea breeze?
What type of weather front forms when a colder air mass advances into a warmer air mass?
What is a cold front?
A forecast predicts heavy rain tomorrow, while records show the area is usually dry this month. Which statement describes climate?
What is the statement that the area is usually dry this month?
Why does ocean water near the equator generally receive more thermal energy than ocean water near the poles?
What is the more direct angle of sunlight at the equator?
What term describes water gathering in oceans, lakes, rivers, and other bodies of water?
What is collection?
Why do coastal areas generally experience more moderate temperatures than inland areas?
What is the ocean warming and cooling more slowly than land, moderating nearby air temperatures?
What type of pressure system is commonly associated with clouds, precipitation, and unsettled weather?
What is a low-pressure system?
A city experiences a week of unusually cold temperatures. Explain why this does not necessarily mean its climate has changed.
What is the difference between a short-term weather event and a long-term climate pattern?
Two oceans receive sunlight, but one is near the equator and the other is near the Arctic Circle. Explain why their water temperatures are usually different.
What is the difference in the angle and concentration of incoming solar energy?
Explain how energy from the Sun helps move water from the hydrosphere to the atmosphere and eventually back to Earth's surface.
What is solar energy causing evaporation, followed by condensation and precipitation?
Explain how the Gulf Stream influences the climate along Florida's east coast.
What is the Gulf Stream carrying warm water from near the equator, which warms the air above it and influences nearby coastal temperatures?
A city is currently under low pressure, but the jet stream is moving a high-pressure system toward it. Predict how its atmospheric pressure and weather may change.
What is rising atmospheric pressure with a possible shift toward clearer, calmer weather?