Weather and climate
What is the difference between weather and climate?
Weather is what happens daily; Climate is the typical weather over many years.
What do we call the process of breaking rock into smaller pieces?
What do we call the process of breaking rock into smaller pieces?
Why does the Sun look so much larger than other stars?
Because it is much closer to Earth than other stars.
What is the process where liquid water turns into a gas?
Evaporation
Is wind energy a renewable or nonrenewable resource?
Renewable (it naturally replenishes)
Which tool (graph) uses pictures to show weather data?
A Pictograph
What is "deposition"?
Dropping sediment (sand/dirt) in a new place.
What causes us to have day and night on Earth?
The rotation (spinning) of the Earth
What happens during "condensation"?
Water vapor cools down and turns back into liquid (forming clouds)
About how much of Earth's water is salt water?
About 97%.
What is one way engineers can reduce damage from a flood?
Building a flood barrier (or levee)
How is a canyon usually formed over a long time?
By erosion from flowing water (a river).
How long does it take for Earth to rotate one full time?
24 hours
Where does water go when it "absorbs" into the ground?
It becomes groundwater.
Is wind energy a renewable or nonrenewable resource?
Nonrenewable resources.
If a region is "tropical," what is its typical yearly climate?
Hot and rainy for most of the year.
Where on a map do you usually find volcanoes?
Near the edges of continents or ocean trenches
What is the imaginary line Earth spins on?
The Axis
What do we call the area of land where all water drains into one lake?
A watershed
Why is fresh water considered a "limited" resource?
Because most fresh water (~2%) is frozen in glaciers/ice caps, leaving very little to use.
What data is used to predict weather for a specific season? (Name at least 3)
Temperature, precipitation, wind speed, and wind direction.
What is "frost wedging"?
When water goes into cracks in rocks, freezes, expands, and breaks the rock.
At what time of day are shadows usually the shortest?
At noon (when the Sun is highest in the sky).
Name two ways communities can reduce water pollution.
Treating sewage or preventing farm chemicals (runoff) from entering rivers.
What is a "trade-off" in a design solution?
A trade-off is a "give and take"—for example, a design might work well but be very expensive.