The Atmosphere
Weather Factors
Weather Patterns
Wild Card
100
This tool measures air pressure by using a metal chamber that is sensitive to pressure changes.
What is an aneroid barometer?
100
The way Earth’s rotation makes winds curve is called the _______________.
Coriolis effect
100
Define air mass
A huge body of air that has similar temperature, humidity, and air pressure at any given height is called an air mass.
100
The tilt of Earth’s axis as Earth revolves around the sun.
What causes the seasons?
200
As you rise upwards in the atmosphere, air pressure
Decreases
200
What are the types of radiation that Earth receives from the sun?
visible light, infrared radiation, and ultraviolet radiation
200
List three types of information you could get from a weather map of your area?
Standard symbols on weather maps show fronts, areas of high and low pressure, types of precipitation, and temperatures.
200
Winds that generally blow from specific directions over long distances.
What are Global winds?
300
Name three things that can be done to reduce air pollution.

1. Greater use of public transportation.

2. Updating filters on power plants so they don’t pollute as much.

3. Requiring new cars to be more efficient.

300
Name three ways that heat can be transferred. Give an example of each one.

1. Radiation The direct transfer of energy by electromagnetic waves. Feeling the warmth of the sun’s rays on your face?

2. Conduction The direct transfer of heat from one substance to another substance that it is touching. Walking bare foot on hot sand.

3. Convection The transfer of heat by the movement of a fluid.

300
What causes winds?
Winds are caused by differences in air pressure.
300
The sound of rapidly heated air as it expands suddenly and explosively.
What is thunder?
400
Describe four ways that the atmosphere is important to living things on Earth.

1. The atmosphere contains oxygen and other gases that you and other living things need to survive.

2. By trapping energy from the sun, the atmosphere keeps most of Earth’s surface warm enough for water to exist as a liquid.

3. Earth’s atmosphere protects living things from dangerous radiation from the sun.

4. The atmosphere prevents Earth’s surface from being hit by most meteoroids, or rocks from outer space.

400
Draw and describe the three main types of clouds.

1. Cirrus Clouds - Wispy, feathery clouds are known as cirrus clouds. (means a curl of hair) Cirrus clouds form only at very high levels, where temperatures are very low, and are made of ice crystals.

2. Cumulus Clouds - Clouds that look like fluffy, rounded piles of cotton are called cumulus clouds. (cumulus means “heap” or “mass”)

3. Stratus Clouds - Clouds that form in flat layers are called stratus clouds. (strato means “spread out.”) Stratus clouds usually cover all or most of the sky and are a uniform dull, gray color.

400
Describe the four major types of air masses according to their two main characteristics

1. Maritime Tropical - Warm, humid air masses form over tropical oceans. Maritime tropical air masses that form over the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean move first into the southeastern United States.

2. Maritime Polar - Cool, humid air masses form over the icy cold North Pacific and North Atlantic oceans. Maritime polar air masses affect the West Coast more than the East Coast.

3. Continental Tropical - Hot, dry air masses form mostly in summer over dry areas of the Southwest and northern Mexico.

4. Continental Polar - Large continental polar air masses that form near the Arctic Circle can bring bitterly cold weather with very low humidity.

400
The average amount of energy of motion of each particle of a substance.
What is temperature?
500
Name the four main layers of the atmosphere, starting with the one closest to Earth, and describe one characteristic of each.

1. The Troposphere (means “turning” or “changing”) This is where Earth’s weather occurs.

2. The Stratosphere (means "layer” or “spread out") The stratosphere contains the ozone layer.

3. The Mesosphere (means “middle”) Protects Earth’s surface from being hit by most meteoroids.

4. The Thermosphere (means “heat.”) The air in the thermosphere is thin, and very hot, up to 1,800°C.

500

Answer the following: 1. Is the center of a cyclone a low-pressure area or a high-pressure area?

2. In what direction does air move in a cyclone?

3. What type of weather is associated with cyclones, and why?

1. A low-pressure area

2. Inwards, upwards, and counterclockwise

3. Storms and precipitation; as air rises, it becomes cooler, condensing to form clouds and resulting in precipitation.

500
What safety precautions should you take if the following storms are predicted in your area?

1. Thunderstorm

2. Tornado

3. Hurricane

4. Snowstorm

1. Thunderstorm: During thunderstorms, avoid places where lightning may strike. Also avoid objects that can conduct electricity, such as metal objects and bodies of water.

2. Tornado: The safest place to be during a tornado is in a storm shelter or the basement of a well-built building.

3. Hurricane: If you hear a hurricane warning and are told to evacuate, leave the area immediately.

4. Snowstorm: If you are caught in a snowstorm, try to find shelter from the wind.

500
A gradual increase in the temperature of Earth’s atmosphere.
What is Global Warming?
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