Air Masses & Movement
This type of pressure system causes air to move toward it, creating wind.
What is: Low pressure?
This element of weather is determined by the amount of water vapor in the air.
What is humidity?
This tool displays atmospheric pressure across a region.
What is a barometer?
The sun's energy heats different parts of Earth's atmosphere unequally, causing this.
What is convection currents and movement of air.
An air mass is coming over the ocean from southern regions. What type of weather will it bring?
What is moist, warm weather.
Air naturally flows from regions of ___ pressure to regions of ___ pressure.
What is high pressure to low pressure?
List three elements that scientists use to define weather at a particular location. (For example: temperature)
What is air pressure, humidity, precipitation, wind speed, wind direction?
Analyze this scenario: A weather map shows a low-pressure system moving toward your city. Predict what weather changes will most likely occur.
What is the weather will become stormy/rainy?
Explain why weather at the equator differs from weather at the poles in terms of solar heating.
What is the equator receives more direct sunlight year-round, while the poles receive indirect sunlight, causing temperature differences?
An air mass is coming from Canada. What type of weather will it bring?
What is cool, dry weather?
Two different air masses collide over a region, causing sudden weather changes. This is an example of this.
What is a collision of air masses / an air mass boundary?
When humidity is high and temperature drops, this weather element often results.
What is precipitation (or rain, snow, sleet, hail)?
Explain how scientists use patterns in weather data to forecast future weather conditions.
What is they identify trends and patterns that have occurred before and predict similar outcomes / weather only be predicted probabilistically based on patterns?
City A is located near the coastline. City B is located further inland. Which city will have warmer temperatures and why?
What is water heats and cools slower than land, keeping coasts milder, while inland areas experience higher temperature extremes.
Explain how historical weather data helps meteorologists predict what weather will likely occur in the future.
What is historical weather data shows patterns, and predictions can be made on those patterns?
Describe what happens to weather conditions when a warm air mass moves into a region that previously had a cold air mass.
What is the temperature increases / it becomes warmer?
Explain the relationship between atmospheric pressure and wind speed.
What is greater pressure differences create stronger winds / steeper pressure gradients create faster winds?
If triangles on a weather map are pointing toward South Carolina, what type of weather is on its way there?
Explain how a rain shadow affects weather on the leeward side versus the wayward side.
Weather on the leeward side will be dryer and receive less precipitation than the windward side of the mountain.
Explain the difference between weather and climate.
What is: weather is the daily minute-by-minute atmospheric conditions. Climate is the average temperature and precipitation over a long (30 years) period of time.
Explain why air masses are constantly moving from one location to another.
What is because air flows from high pressure to low pressure / due to pressure differences?
Compare how weather conditions differ between a high-pressure system and a low-pressure system.
What is high pressure brings fair/clear weather, low pressure brings stormy/rainy weather?
An "H" is found on a weather map covering the northeastern part of Massachusetts. What weather is found here?
What is higher pressure, clear weather.
What is the tilt of the earth's axis in combination with the spinning of earth (Coriolis Effect).
Explain why two cities at the same latitude can experience very different weather patterns.
What is factors like ocean currents, landforms, elevation, and local air mass movements create regional variations in weather?