Extreme Weather
What is extreme weather?
Any weather that falls outside of normal patterns.
What are the four spheres of our planet?
Geosphere; Hydosphere; Atmosphere; Biosphere
What are the four climate zones of Earth?
Tropical, sub-tropical, temperate, polar
What are the four categories for air masses?
Artic, Tropical, Polar, Equatorial
What is climate?
Long-term, average weather over a large area.
What are the three main processes of the water cycle?
Evaporation, Condensation, Precipitation
Give 4 examples of extreme weather?
Flooding; Drought; Heatwaves/wildfires; Tornados; Blizzards; Hail; Thunderstorms
Wind breaking down and moving earth is an example of?
Erosion
What type of air rises and why?
Hot is less dense than cold air, which is why hot air rises and cold air sinks.
What are the four different weather fronts?
Cold front, Warm front, Stationary Front, Occluded Front
What is the greenhouse effect?
_____ is an attractive force that helps move water through the water cycle. Water is pulled down from higher elevations in rivers, streams, and underground. It also pulls down water from the atmosphere when it rains, snows, or hails.
Gravity.
List 3 inventions engineers have designed to protect us from extreme weather.
Hip roof (strong winds), Lightning rod (lightning), Sea walls (high waves), special building panels (tornadoes)
What can humans do to have a positive impact on all of Earth's spheres?
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Do ocean currents have an effect on climates? Explain.
Yes. Ocean currents can bring with it warmer or cooler water. This can affect the climate of the areas near the ocean. EX: Warm ocean currents will make areas warmer and cold ocean currents will make areas cooler.
What causes air masses to move around?
Prevailing winds
Why is the greenhouse effect a good thing?
Earth would be too cold for life without the greenhouse effect.
How do clouds form?
Condensation.
When water vapor in the air loses energy to the atmosphere, the gas changes its state to a liquid. These tiny water droplets then form clouds.
Can we prevent extreme weather? Why or why not?
No, we cannot but we can prepare for them. Engineers have developed ways to reduce the damage that can come from extreme weather.
Which sphere are Humans part of and why?
Humans are part of the biosphere because we are living things. The biosphere contains all living things.
What is the relationship between the sun and the climate zones?
The angle of the Sun causes its light to strike different latitudes with different intensities. The different amount of light from the Sun affects that area's climate.
What happens when two air masses crash into each other?
When two air masses collide, they form a weather front.
Why have greenhouse gases increased in the atmosphere over the past 100 years?
One of the greenhouse gases is carbon dioxide. CO2 has increased in the atmosphere from the burning of fossil fuels.
How does the sun drive the water cycle?
The Sun's energy evaporates water into the atmosphere from all types of sources, including bodies of water, plants, and animals.
Can extreme weather be predicted?
Sometimes. By looking at patterns where and when different types of extreme weather occur, we can predict and the most likely times and places it will occur.
Does water temperature have an effect on air temperature? Why or why not?
Yes, it does. If the water is cooler than the air then the temperature will drop. If the water is warmer than the air the air will get warmer.
A global wind pattern that is caused by the rotation of Earth. It is also the reason why air currents seem to "bend".
Coriolis Effect
Why does the weather report get it wrong sometimes?
To predict the weather, meteorologists need to predict where an air mass will be in a few days. Wind travels in different directions and different heights which makes it difficult to predict.
What are some consequences of a warming Earth?
There has been an increase in glacier melting which in turn causes sea levels to rise. There has been an increase in forest fires, stronger hurricanes, and more severe droughts.
How can water molecules you drink today be millions of years old?
Water molecules today have been continuously cycling on Earth for millions of years. The same processes of evaporation, precipitation, and condensation that are happening today have been happening for millions of years.