Test - Weather and Climate

What 2 things determine what the climate is like in an area?

2 things that determine the climate in an area are temperature and precipitation.

What is a high pressure system?

A high pressure system is an area where the air has high pressure and thus sinks down towards the surface of the Earth.

What is a low pressure system?

A low pressure system is an area where the air has a low pressure and rises higher into Earth's atmosphere.

What is a weather front?

A weather front is a boundary between two air masses.

How do warm and cool currents affect the temperature of the areas they travel to?

Air above a warm current is usually warm, and air above a cool current is usually cool. These warm or cool currents bring warm or cool air to certain areas to change the temperature of them.

What's the difference between an air mass and a weather front?

An air mass is a large area of air with similar properties, whereas a weather front is the boundary between two air masses.

What is an air mass?

An air mass is a large body of air that can be described by its temperature and humidity.

What is an isobar?

An isobar is a line on a weather map that connects areas of equal air pressure.

Why do areas closer to the equator have a warmer climate than areas closer to the poles?

Areas near the equator have warm climates because they get the most direct sunlight, whereas at the poles, the sunlight is less direct and more spread out.

What is the weather like at the center of a high pressure system?

At the center of a high pressure system it is usually pretty dry and sunny, since the air cannot rise up and thus clouds cannot form.

What is the weather like at the center of a low pressure system?

At the center of a low pressure system, it is usually pretty cloudy with lots of precipitation, because as air rises, it brings water upwards into the atmosphere forming clouds.

How does an uneven heating of Earth's surface create wind?

Because Earth's surface is heated differently, there are differences in air pressure caused by this. Warm air has lower air pressure, and cool air has higher air pressure. When air with low air pressure rises up, the air with high air pressure comes in and takes the place of the air with low air pressure. Because of this, air always flows from high pressure areas to low pressure areas, causing wind.

What is climate?

Climate is a description of the long term weather conditions of an area.

Where does conduction happen on Earth?

Conduction happens when the particles on the surface of the Earth bump into the particles of air, which cause the air to heat up.

Where does convection happen on Earth?

Convection happens on Earth when the warmer particles near the surface rise because they are less dense, and the colder particles of higher elevation sink because they are denser.

What is convection?

Convection is the movement of matter due to differences in density.

What is the difference between the location of deep currents and surface currents?

Deep currents are closer to the equator and flow from the poles towards the equator, whereas surface currents occur on the surface and flow from the equator to the poles.

What 2 things cause deep currents to move?

Deep currents move because of density differences caused by temperature differences and salinity differences.

What causes sea breezes? What causes land breezes?

During the day, when the sun heats up Earth's surface, it transfers the same amount of energy to the land and the ocean. But ocean has a higher specific heat and thus needs much more thermal energy to reach a certain temperature, so it heats up much more slowly. Since the ocean heats up slowly, so does the air above it, whereas the air above the land heats up quickly. This difference in temperature between land and air creates a breeze that blows over the ocean towards the land, aka a sea breeze. At night, the opposite happens, as the ocean cools much slower than the land. The air above the ocean is thus warmer than the land, causing wind to blow over the land towards the ocean, aka a land breeze.

Where does radiation happen on Earth?

Earth receives energy from the sun through radiation, which is the transfer of energy through electromagnetic waves, which heat up Earth's surface.

What 3 things cause surface currents to move?

Global winds, Continental Deflection, and the Coriolis Effect.

Why do areas of high albedo have colder climates than areas with low albedo?

If an area has high albedo, it reflects more light into the atmosphere, leaving the surface cold, which makes the air above it cold.

Why is it hotter at the equator and cooler at the poles?

It is hotter at the equator because the sun strikes the equator more directly and the sunlight it more concentrated, whereas at the poles, the sunlight is more spread out and less direct and concentrated.

How would jet streams affect airplane travel times?

Jet streams are fast moving belts of air that move around the Earth. If your airplane was going in the same direction as the jet stream, it would go much faster, but if the airplane was going against the jet stream, it would take much longer to get to your destintation.

How do jet streams affect temperature?

Jet streams are what form boundaries between cold and warm temperatures. When jet streams move north or south, they bring cold or warm air with them, changing the temperature of the area.

How does proximity to a large body of water affect climate?

Large bodies of water moderate the climate of the area with less severe temperatures because water has a high specific heat.

How does Latitude affect climate?

Latitude affects climate because the sun strikes the equator more directly than the poles, so its warmer at the equator.

How do mountains affect climate?

Mountains can block clouds from passing over the mountain, causing them to condense and precipitate on one side, leaving the other side dry.

What is an ocean current?

Ocean currents are the patterns of water movement throughout the ocean.

How do ocean currents affect climate?

Ocean currents warm or cool the air above them depending on whether it's a cold or warm current.

Why is most precipitation freshwater even though it comes from the salty ocean?

Precipitation comes from water in the air which comes from water in the ocean. But when water from the ocean evaporates into the air, the salt stays behind since it has a much higher boiling point. This makes it so that water in the air is freshwater, causing freshwater precipitation.

How do prevailing winds affect climate?

Prevailing winds can blow air masses of either hot or cold, or humid or dry air which can change the climate of an area. They also drive ocean currents.

How does salt affect the density of water? Where does the salty water go compared to less salty water?

Salt fills in the gaps between water molecules without increasing the volume of the water, so it makes water more dense. Because the salty water is more dense, it sinks, and makes the fresh water rise to the surface.

What two things describe air in an air mass?

Temperature and humidity.

What are the 5 elements of weather?

Temperature, Humidity, Clouds and precipitation, air pressure, and wind.

What is the Coriolis effect?

The Coriolis effect is the effect of Earth's rotation on wind and ocean patterns.

How does Earth's rotation affect wind?

The affect of Earth's rotation on global winds is called the Coriolis Effect. Because the Earth rotates, although winds still technically travel in a straight line from the pole, they appear to curve, forming wind belts of around 30 degrees of latitude.

What does the direction of triangles and semi circles tell us?

The direction of the shapes tells us what direction the air mass is moving.

How does elevation affect climate?

The higher the elevation of the area, the colder and higher air pressure it has.

What are some characteristics of an occluded front?

The symbol for an occluded front is alternating purple semicircles and triangles facing in the same direction. Occluded fronts form when a fast moving cold front catches up to a warm front, sandwiching and pushing the warm air up. This can cause clouds and precipitation.

What are some characteristics of a stationary front?

The symbol is alternating blue semicircles and red triangles facing in opposite directions. A stationary front occurs when a cold air mass collides with a warm air mass and they stay there for a long time. This can cause rain, snow, or clouds for many days.

What are some characteristics of a cold front?

The symbol is blue semicircles facing in the direction that the cold air mass is moving. A cold front occurs when a fast moving cold front catches up to a warm front, pushing the air upwards very quickly, causing storms and precipitation.

What are some characteristics of a warm front?

The symbol is red triangles which face in the direction of the warm air mass. A warm front occurs when a fast moving warm air mass catches up to a cold mass, and it gradually starts to rise up above the cold air mass, bringing drizzly rain or scattered clouds for many days.

Why doesn't water heat up as quickly as land, even though they receive the same amount of thermal energy from the sun?

Water is a polar molecule, meaning one side is positively charged and the other is negatively charged. This means that the molecules stick together very well, so they take awhile to heat up. This is called specific heat, as water needs much more thermal energy than land to actually heat up.

What is weather?

Weather is a description of the short term conditions of the atmosphere.

What is weather?

Weather is a descriptions of the short term conditions of the atmosphere.

What is the difference between weather and climate?

Weather is over a short period of time, whereas climate is over a long period of time.