Mrs. Downs' Science Classes – Weather & Climate Review

Weather & Climate Unit Review Sheet

Directions: Use your notes and BOTH texts to fill in this review sheet. Keep it and study it and do not turn it in to me until the day you are ready to take your test over Weather & Climate.

The

is the layer of atmosphere that contains most of the air and all the weather. The

contains the gas that protects us from ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun, called

. The

is the coldest layer of the atmosphere, and the

is the hottest layer.

is the transfer of heat through a gas or vacuum with wave energy.

is the transfer of heat through a solid by touch.

is the transfer through a liquid or gas by circulation by a current of some sort.

Our seasons are not caused by the

to the sun, but by the

the sunlight hits the Earth at.

is the change from a solid to a liquid,

is the change from liquid into a gas. When done slowly it is called

, and when done quickly it is called

. The change directly from solid to gas is called

. Gases

into liquids, and liquids

into solids.

Clouds are named by their

and

. The prefix

means a high cloud. The prefix

means a medium altitude cloud. The prefix

means a low cloud. Clouds that are thin and wispy are called

clouds. If they are puffy, they are

. If they stretch across the sky like a blanket, they are called

. If they produce precipitation, they are called

Precipitation almost always starts out as

, up high in the clouds, which is frozen water vapor. If it melts on the way down, it will be

. If it re-freezes, it will be

(which is frozen rain.). If it gets caught in an updraft, and stays in the clouds for a while, freezing layer upon layer, getting larger and larger, it will be

Air pressure is measured with a

. When the air pressure is low in one area and it is high in another area, the air will move from the area of high pressure to the area of low pressure, causing

air mass forms over the ocean in the tropics, like over the Gulf of Mexico, so the air is warm and moist. A

air mass could form over the Arctic Ocean, & is cold and moist. A

air mass could form over Mexico,& is hot and dry. A

air mass could form over Canada, & is cold and dry.

front occurs when a cold air mass is pushing a warm one. The angle of the front is steep, so you end up with short, violent thunderstorms. A

front occurs when a warm air mass is pushing a cold one, so you end up with a long, slow, steady rain. If the air masses stop moving, a

front occurs, and if a fast moving cold front “catches up” with a slow moving warm front, the warm mass is lifted aloft and an

front occurs.

10.

is the temporary conditions in an area.

is an average of the weather conditions taken over at least 30 years. It is largely affected by the following six factors:

	– The closer to the Arctic and Antarctic Circle you get, the colder and dryer it is. The closer to the Equator, the hotter and more humid it is.
	– The higher above sea level you get, the colder and dryer it is.
	winds – The windward edge of an island or continent will be much more humid than the leeward side.
	– If mountains are present, the air mass will drop much of its moisture on the windward side before crossing over. The air mass sucks up moisture during its descent on the leeward side of the mountains, frequently creating desert conditions.
	Distance from large bodies of – which has “high specific heat”, which means it heats up slowly and cools off slowly.
	Nearby ocean – There are palm trees growing on the coast of Ireland, much farther north than we are, due to the Gulf Stream.