SUN & EARTH'S ENERGY
What is the main source of energy that heats Earth's surface?
The Sun
What layer of the atmosphere do we live in and where most weather occurs?
The troposphere
What is the difference between weather and climate?
Weather is the short-term condition of the atmosphere, while climate is the long-term pattern of weather in an area.
What process changes liquid water into water vapor?
Evaporation
What is wind?
The movement of air from an area of higher pressure to an area of lower pressure.
Which receives more direct sunlight: the equator or the poles?
The equator
What happens to air when it is heated?
It becomes less dense and rises.
Name two types of data meteorologists use to describe or predict weather.
Temperature, air pressure, humidity, wind speed, wind direction, precipitation, or cloud cover.
What process occurs when water vapor cools and changes into liquid water?
Condensation
What causes differences in air pressure that help create wind?
Unequal heating of Earth's surface.
Why does the equator generally receive more solar energy than the poles?
Sunlight strikes the equator at a more direct angle, concentrating energy over a smaller area.
What generally happens to air pressure as you move higher in the atmosphere?
Air pressure decreases.
If air pressure begins dropping quickly, what might this tell a meteorologist?
A change in weather or an approaching storm system may be developing.
What is precipitation?
Water falling from the atmosphere to Earth's surface as rain, snow, sleet, or hail.
What is the jet stream?
A fast-moving band of air high in the atmosphere that generally moves from west to east.
How can unequal heating of Earth's surface cause air to move?
Unequal heating creates differences in temperature and air pressure. Air moves from areas of higher pressure toward areas of lower pressure.
Why does warm air tend to rise while cooler air tends to sink?
Warm air is less dense, while cooler air is more dense.
A city has hot, humid air, increasing cloud cover, and falling air pressure. What type of weather might be approaching?
Stormy or unsettled weather, possibly thunderstorms.
After heavy rain, water flows downhill into a creek. What process is occurring, and what force causes the water to move downhill?
Runoff; gravity
During the day, land heats up faster than water. How does this difference in heating affect the movement of air near the coast?
Warm air over the land rises, and cooler air from over the water moves toward the land, creating a sea breeze.
Why does the angle at which sunlight hits Earth's surface affect how much an area heats up?
More direct sunlight concentrates energy over a smaller area, causing greater heating. Less direct sunlight spreads the same energy over a larger area, causing less heating.
A column of air becomes warmer and rises. What would you expect to happen to the air pressure near the surface?
Air pressure would generally decrease because air is moving upward.
A student says, "It rained today, so our climate is rainy." What is wrong with this reasoning?
One day's weather does not determine climate. Climate is based on long-term patterns and data.
Explain how evaporation, condensation, and precipitation work together to move water through the water cycle.
Water evaporates into the atmosphere, cools and condenses into clouds, and eventually falls as precipitation, returning water to Earth's surface.
A mountain area experiences different wind patterns during the day and night because the mountain slopes heat and cool. Explain why the direction of air movement can change between day and night.
During the day, the mountain slopes heat up and warm air rises. At night, the slopes cool and the cooler, denser air moves downhill. The change in heating changes the direction of air movement.