Fronts
What kind of weather usually comes with a low-pressure area marked "L" on a map?
Cloudy and rainy or stormy weather
On a weather map, does a big "H" usually mean clear skies or stormy weather?
Clear skies and dry weather (high pressure).
How does a warm ocean current affect the temperature of a nearby coast?
It makes the coast warmer.
Which heats and cools slower: land or water?
Water heats and cools more slowly than land.
What are the 2 climate zones/types of climate
Tropical/Polar
Which front happens when cold air pushes under warm air and often causes strong storms?
A cold front.
If the barometer drops a lot in a few hours, what weather should people expect soon?
Rainy and windy conditions (storms likely).
Which process happens because of differences in water temperature and saltiness? (why does water get colder the deeper you go?)
Ocean (convection) currents
When air heats, what happens to the particles?
They move faster and spread apart (they expand- and they cause whatever they are in to expand too!)
Why do the different climate zones have different temperatures
The Sun's rays hit Earth at different angles, and Earth's tilt changes how much sunlight each zone gets.
If cold air and warm air meet and neither side moves forward, what kind of front is that?
A stationary front.
when pressure rises, does the weather usually get nicer or worse?
Nicer (clearer) weather.
How can a cold ocean current near a coast change the local climate and weather there?
A cold ocean current cools the air above it, which makes the nearby coast cooler and can bring fog and less rainfall than areas at the same latitude.
Which process explains warm air rising and cool air sinking, making big air movements?
Convection.
When moist air blows from the ocean toward a mountain, why does the side of the mountain facing the ocean get more rain while the other side stays dry?
The water cools down as it climbs the mountain
If a warm front moves through in May, what will the weather likely be like? (think temperature and rain)
It will become warmer and likely rainy.
After a cold front passes Denver and a warm front passes Miami, which city gets colder and which gets warmer?
Denver gets colder; Miami gets warmer.
Two islands are at the same latitude: one near a warm current, one near a cold current. Which island will be warmer and why?
The island near the warm current will be warmer because warm water raises the air temperature above it.
Why do places near the ocean often have milder temperatures than places far inland?
Water stores heat and releases it slowly, so coastal places have smaller temperature changes.
What makes winds and ocean currents curve instead of going straight?
The Coriolis effect
When a cold front catches a warm front and lifts the warm air, what happens to the air and the weather? (two short ideas)
The warm air is lifted, clouds form, and rain or storms often follow.
What happens to air pressure as you climb a mountain
Air pressure decreases as elevation increases.
How differences in temperature and salinity move ocean water around the world. (How do ocean currents move)
Cold, salty water is denser and sinks; warm, less salty water rises. This sinking and rising helps make large currents that move heat around Earth.
Why are the poles colder than the equator?
The Sun's rays hit the equator more directly and Earth's tilt causes the poles to get less direct sunlight, so the poles are colder.
If a warm ocean current flows near a northern coast (like Norway), how does that change the local climate compared to other places at same latitude?
The coast becomes warmer than other places at the same latitude.