Weather & Climate
What is the difference between weather and climate?
Weather is the day-to-day atmospheric conditions; climate is the long-term average conditions of an area.
Which climate zone receives the most direct sunlight year-round?
The Tropical Zone
North Cobb HS, with four seasons and shedding leaves in fall, is located in which biome?
Deciduous Forest
Which city receives more rainfall, Rio de Janeiro or Phoenix?
Rio de Janeiro
What is the main difference between freshwater and marine ecosystems?
Freshwater has low salt content; marine water has high salt content.
Albuquerque’s report of 75°F, no rain, and 58% humidity on a single day describes what: weather or climate?
Weather
What type of sunlight (direct or indirect) does the polar zone receive?
Indirect sunlight
Which biome has permafrost, very cold temperatures, and shallow-rooted plants like mosses?
Tundra
On a climograph, what type of graph shows rainfall?
Bars (bar graph)
An estuary flows into what larger body of water?
The ocean
Warm summers, cold winters, and year-round rainfall in Albuquerque describe what: weather or climate?
Climate
Between which degrees of latitude is the temperate zone located?
Between 23.5° and 66.5° N and S
Which biome has the highest biodiversity and year-round warm temperatures and rainfall?
Tropical Rainforest
What is Río’s approximate rainfall amount in May?
(Use your chart—typically around 3 inches / 80 mm depending on version.)
The zone with the most sunlight in aquatic ecosystems is called what?
The photic zone.
The photic zone
Phoenix being warmer than nearby cities due to buildings and energy use is an example of what?
A microclimate
What is topography, and how does it influence climate?
It is the shape/elevation of land; it can create rain shadows and change wind and precipitation patterns.
Which biome has extreme temperature changes and plants with fleshy leaves like succulents?
Desert
How many months is Phoenix above 50°F on average?
Most of the year, typically 12 months
What does “brackish” mean?
Water that is a mix of fresh and salt water
Which factor determines the climate of a location based on how far north or south it is from the equator?
Latitude
What is altitude, and how does it affect temperature?
Altitude is height above sea level; as altitude increases, temperature decreases.
Seasonal rainfall (wet and dry seasons) and migrating animals are characteristics of which biome?
Savanna
The Phoenix climograph shows temperature peaks in summer far higher than winter, but precipitation stays low all year. What does this suggest about seasonal weather patterns?
Phoenix experiences hot, dry summers and mild, dry winters.
If a river’s freshwater flow into an estuary decreases during drought, how would the salinity of the brackish water change, and why?
Salinity would increase because less freshwater is mixing with the ocean water.