Download Study Guide for Final

Study Guide for Final…………………………………………………Atmosphere
What causes weather?
 The interaction of the Sun and the atmosphere. The Sun is the driving force.
Define dew point
 Temperature at which condensation occurs. The closer the air temperature and dew point are the
higher the relative humidity is
Explain why it causes water to form on a piece of grass in the morning? Where does the water come
from?
 Over night the air temperature drops to dew point and the air becomes saturated. Dew is formed as
water vapor in the air turns from a gas to a liquid and plops on the grass
What causes wind?
 Wind is caused by changes in air pressure which can be cause by a change in temperature. Wind
moves from high to low pressure
Why do animals sweat? Where does the heat that allows the water to evaporate come from?
 Animals sweat to release waste and cool off. The water that is moved to the surface through pores
uses body heat to change from a liquid to a gas and evaporate. Body heat is lost and the body
cools down.
Which areas of the country see the largest range in temperatures during the year? Which see the smallest?
Why?
 Largest range – cities in the middle of land
 Smallest range – cities closest to large bodies of water
 Water has a high specific heat so it can absorb a lot of energy from the Sun before its temperature
goes up. (heats up slow) Land has a low specific heat. It heats up after absorbing less energy
from the Sun (heats up fast).Cities by land get hotter; cities by water stay cooler.
Fill in the chart
Type of front
Warm
Cold
Temperature that
follows(warm/cold)
Warmer
Cooler
Weather as front
passes
Rain light or
heavy; usually not
T-storm
T-storms
Moisture content
that
follows(humid/dry)
Humid; cloudy
Dry; sunny
Define air mass:
 Large body of air that has similar temperature and humidity. Area where it is formed
determines properties. Place where two air mass meet is called a front. How different the two air
masses are determines type of weather.
Define weather

Condition of the atmosphere at a particular place and time; minute to minute, day to day
Define climate
 Average of weather; trend over time….usually focuses on temperature and rainfall
Fill in the chart.
Type of heat transfer
Definition
example
Radiation
Transfer by waves
Conduction
Transfer by touch
Convection
Transfer by flow of
material
Crayons melting in my
van; Sun heating a
sunroom
Handle of pan feel hot; ice
feels cold; egg frying in a
pan
Water boiling in a pot;
liquid mantle moving in
the Earth; hot air rising
and cold air sinking
Explain what
the inside of a cumulonimbus cloud feels/looks like?
 Feels rough; lots of up drafts and down drafts.
 Change in temperature from bottom to top; cold up top, warmer below
 Grey, hazy
 Wet
Define a land breeze
 Wind moves from the land to the ocean or body of water. (winds are named by where they come
from)
 Usually occurs at night
Draw a picture showing the temperatures of the land and water and the movement of air. (see next page)
Lower density
Higher density
12*C
(54*F)
22 *C
(71 *F)
Define a sea breeze
 Wind moves from the sea (Ocean) to the land.
 Usually occurs during day
Draw a picture showing the temperatures of the land and water and the movement of air.
28*C
22*C
How would you describe air to a second grader?

Air is a mixture of solids, liquids and gasses
Draw a station model the matches the following description:
Air temp - 34
Dew point – 31
Cloud cover – You tell me
Wind – North, 17 mph
Barometric pressure 998 and falling
Present weather – you tell me*
*Since
34
31
998
the dew point
and air temperature
are close you should
assume clouds. Since
the barometric
pressure is falling
you should assuming
precipitation.
Air temp – 78
Dew point – 60
Cloud cover – you tell me
Wind – calm
Barometric pressure 1020 and rising
Present weather – you tell me

*Since the barometric
pressure is rising and
78
1020
the dew point and air
temperature are farther
apart, you should
60
assuming no
precipitation and little
The further apart air temperature and dew point are the drier the air is. Dry air = no clouds or
to no cloud cover.
precipitation.
Why is Ozone important to the Earth?
Ozone can reflect uv rays. uv radiation can cause cancer and weaken immune systems.
Draw the water cycle.
Which step in the water cycle occurs when temperatures reach dew point? How do you know?
How does most water return to the oceans?