Weather VS Climate
Short-term conditions of the atmosphere are called this.
Weather
This area receives the most direct sunlight and is the warmest.
Equator
Warm air does this because it becomes lighter.
Rises
This climate zone is near the equator and stays warm/hot year-round.
Tropical
This describes average weather patterns over 30 years or more.
Climate
These areas get less direct sunlight and are colder.
The poles
Cool air is denser, so it does this.
Answer: Sinks
Sinks
This icy zone is near the poles.
Polar
“Today is rainy and windy” is an example of this.
Weather
Because Earth is curved, sunlight strikes some places more directly than others. What is this phenomenon called?
Uneven heating
Rising warm air and sinking cool air create these.
Convection Currents
The United States and Europe are in this mild-season zone.
Temperate
“Deserts are dry and tropical areas are warm year-round” describes this.
Climate
This substance heats and cools slowly, helping coastal areas have milder climates.
Water
Earth’s rotation causes wind to curve, a phenomenon called this.
The Coriolis Effect
A region has four seasons. Summers are warm, winters are cold, and spring and fall are mild.
Which climate zone is this?
Temperate
A student claims that because the last two summers were hotter than normal, the climate of their region is now "hot." What is the mistake in their reasoning?
Climate describes long-term patterns over many years, so two summers is too short a period to show a climate change.
Why does Earth’s atmosphere have areas of warmer and cooler air? Be specific!
Because the Sun heats Earth’s surface unevenly—areas near the equator receive more direct sunlight while areas near the poles receive less—causing warm air to form where sunlight is strongest and cooler air where sunlight is weaker.
Why do convection currents in the atmosphere continue in a cycle instead of stopping once warm air rises?
Because after warm air rises, it cools, becomes denser, and sinks again. This sinking cool air moves back toward warmer areas, gets heated through conduction, rises once more, and the process repeats—creating a continuous cycle of rising and sinking air
A location receives low-angle sunlight. Winters are long and dark, summers are short and cool. Animals and plants must survive very cold conditions.
Which climate zone is this?
Polar