The Atmosphere
What are the 4 layers of the atmosphere?
Mesophere, Stratosphere, Thermosphere, and Troposphere.
What is climate?
The usual weather pattern in a certain area for many years.
What is a cirrus cloud?
Cirrus clouds are often feather shaped and are often in the sky during fair weather.
What is a hurricane?
A powerful storm that has strong winds rotating around a low pressure center.
What is meteorology?
The study of weather.
What is the Mesophere?
This layer has the coldest temperatures in the atmosphere. Meteors from space burn up when they travel through this layer.
Name three types of climate zones.
Possibilities:
tropical, drylands, subtropical, continental, polar
Describe a cumulus cloud.
A round, fluffy white cloud that usually shows up in fair weather.
How does hail form?
Wind moves frozen water drops up and down inside clouds, forming layers of ice that eventually fall to the ground.
This is a prediction of weather conditions based on scientific data.
weather forecast
What is the stratosphere?
This layer contains a layer of ozone. Jets fly in the lower reigon of this layer.
Explain El Nino.
A current of warm water in the Pacific Ocean that occurs every few years and runs southward along the western coast of South America. El Nino causes major weather changes all over the world.
Describe a cumulonimbus cloud.
Tall, dark, puffy clouds that bring heavy sotrms. If you see a cumulonimbus cloud in the sky, a storm is headed your way.
How does snow form?
Water vapor freezes into crystals.
What is a coriolis effect?
Air that would move from north to south gets deflected, or bent away into other paths because of the earth's rotation.
What is the thermosphere?
The air here is very thin. This layer leads into the emptiness of space.
The amount of water vapor in the world is called....
Relative humidity
Use the white board to draw a cirrus and a cumulus cloud. Explain the difference to your classmates.
Observe
Name four types of precipitation.
Rain, snow, sleet, hail.
Explain the greenhouse effect.
The rise in the earth's temperature caused by carbon dioxide and other gases in the atmosphere; many scientists are concerned about wheter the greenhouse effect will change the earth in the future.
What is the troposphere?
All weather occurs in this part of the atmosphere. Air pressure is greatest here.
Describe the climate in Southern California.
We have a mediterranean climate, with hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters.
In your own words, explain the water cycle.
Water heats up and evaporates and rises to the sky. When the air gets cold, it condenses and forms clouds. Clouds get heavy and cold and cause rain.
Evaporation, condensation, precipitation, accumulation....
This is a seasonal storm of rain and wind.
Monsoon
What causes wind?
The rotation of the Earth
The shape of the Earth
The sun
The fact that hot air rises and cold air sinks