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Atmosphere and Weather Study Guide Key
Vocabulary
1.
Define the following terms
a. Air pressure - the measure of the force with which air molecules push on a
surface
b. Air Mass - a large body of air where temperature and moisture content are
constant throughout
c. Air Front - the boundary between air masses of different densities and usually
different temperatures
d. Conduction - the transfer of energy as heat through a material
e. Convection - the transfer of thermal energy by the circulation or movement of a
liquid or gas
f. Radiation - the transfer of energy as electromagnetic waves
g. Wind - the movement of air caused by differences in air pressure
Atmosphere
2. Draw a diagram that shows how air pressure changes with altitude.
As Altitude increases, air pressure
decreases. Air pressure decreases
as you travel from point A to point B.
3. List the 4 main layers of the atmosphere and 3 facts about each.
Layer
Facts
Troposphere
 Gases turn and mix continuously.
 Densest Layer
 90% of the Atmosphere’s Mass
 Temperatures vary greatly
 Where weather happens
 0 Km – 16 Km above the Earth’s
Surface
Stratosphere
 Gases are layered; they do not mix
in this layer.
 Air is thin in this layer.
 Contains very little moisture
 The average temperature is -60° C
(-76° F).
 Temperature increases as altitude
increases.
 Contains the Ozone Layer.
 16 Km – 50 Km above the Earth’s
Surface
Mesosphere
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Thermosphere
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The coldest layer of the
atmosphere.
Temperature decreases as
altitude increases.
Temperatures can be as low
as -93° C (-135° F)
Where meteors burn up in the
atmosphere.
50 Km – 90 Km above the Earth’s
Surface
Temperature increases as altitude
increases.
Temperatures can be 1000° C
(1832° F) or higher.
Least dense layer.
Contains the Aurora Borealis
and Aurora Australis
90 Km – 300 Km above the Earth’s
Surface
4. What does each of these prefixes mean Tropo, Strato, Meso, Thermo?
Tropo – Change
Strato – Layer
Meso – Middle
Thermo - Heat
5. List 2 facts about the ionosphere and the exosphere.
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Ionosphere
A layer in the upper part of the
Mesosphere and the lower part of the
Thermosphere.
Reflects AM radio waves.
Made of charged particles called ions.
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Exosphere
Outer most layer
Lots of escaping gases.
Location of satellites and ISS
6. Write an example of heat transfer through, conduction, convection, and radiation.
Conduction – An iron ironing clothes, heating a pot on the stove
Convection – Water boiling
Radiation – The Sun heating the Earth, holding your hand near a campfire
Ozone Layer
7. List 3 ways that people can protect the Ozone Layer.
Being energy wise; Walk, bike, carpool, and use public transportation whenever possible
to reduce air pollution; Recycle
8. What chemical causes the most damage to the Ozone Layer?
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC)
Water Cycle and Clouds
9. List each step of the water cycle and describe what happens in each step.
Step of the Water Cycle
Evaporation
Condensation
Precipitation
Runoff
Description
When water molecules heat up to 100
degrees Celsius, they become water
vapor. Water vapor rises higher into the
troposphere.
When water vapor cools high in the
troposphere, it becomes water droplets
again. These water droplets will stick
together and form clouds.
When the water droplets in clouds become
too large and too heavy, they fall to the
ground. Precipitation can be dew, rain,
sleet, snow, and hail.
When the water is on the ground it will
begin to flow downhill until it evaporates, is
drunk by a plant or animal, or reaches a
body of water.
10. What role does convection play in the water cycle?
Convection drives the water cycle. When water is heated it rises as a vapor into the
atmosphere (Evaporation). As the water vapor cools high in the atmosphere, it becomes
water droplets and sinks/falls back to earth (condensation & precipitation).
11. List the types of clouds that will bring the following types of weather:
a. Stormy - Cumulonimbus
b. Rainy – Nimbostratus, Cumulonimbus
c. Calm – Cirrus, Cumulus
Air masses, Air Fronts, and Air Pressure Systems
12. List each type of air front. Describe each one in two sentences or fewer.
13. List the types of air masses that affect the United States. Describe each of these
masses in two sentences or fewer.
Air Mass
Continental Polar
Continental Tropical
Maritime Polar
Maritime Tropical
Description
Cool, dry air that forms over land. Usually
comes from Canada.
Warm, dry air that forms over land. Usually
comes from Mexico.
Cool, wet air that forms over oceans.
Forms over the North Atlantic or North
Pacific.
Warm, wet air that forms over the oceans.
Usually comes from the Gulf of Mexico, the
southern Atlantic or southern Pacific.
14.
List the types of air pressure systems. Describe the weather caused by each of
these systems in two sentences or fewer.
Severe Weather
15. How are hurricanes and tornadoes similar? Different?
Both are low pressure systems, cyclones, and usually form along cold fronts. Both
usually form during the summer months.
Hurricanes are larger and are made up of multiple thunderstorms that have “bunched
up.” Hurricanes become stronger over water and weaken over land.
Tornadoes are smaller than hurricanes. Tornadoes form within a thunderstorm.
16. What is a Tornado watch? What is a Tornado warning?
Watch – the conditions are right for a tornado to form, but a tornado has not been
spotted.
Warning – one or more tornadoes has been spotted in the area.
Forecasting Weather
Use the image below to answer question # 17-18
17. What kind of weather will city ‘A’ experience?
Many days of wet, cloudy weather due to the stationary front.
18. What is the possible weather for city ‘B’?
Warm, stormy weather will be produced by the low pressure system.
19. Draw the symbols used on weather maps to represent the different types of air fronts.