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EARTH SCIENCE STUDY GUIDE: ATMOSPHERE
EEn.2.5.1 Summarize the structure and composition of our atmosphere.
EEn.2.5.2 Explain the formation of typical air masses and the weather systems that result from air mass interactions.
EEn.2.5.3 Explain how cyclonic storms form based on the interaction of air masses. EEn.2.5.4 Predict the weather using available
weather maps and data (including surface, upper atmospheric winds, and satellite imagery).
EEn.2.5.5 Explain how human activities affect air quality.
ATMOSPHERE
AIR MASSES
Nitrogen (N2) – 78%
Oxygen (O2) – 21%
Argon and other gases- 1%
Carbon dioxide (CO2) – 0.036% –
absorbs heat energy from Earth
Air pressure decreases as altitude increases
Temperature
differences are
used to divide the
atmosphere into
four layers:
troposphere,
stratosphere,
mesosphere, and
thermosphere.
WARM FRONT
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mP air masses in the Northwest create blizzards in
the winter.
Ozone in the stratosphere reduces solar
radiation available to Earth surface.
CFCs break down Ozone.
COLD FRONT
OCCLUDED FRONT
STATIONARY
FRONT
Cyclone Systems
generally move from west
to east. The movement is
due to the Westerlie
prevailing winds in U.S.
mid-latitudes.
 When upper-level divergence
of air around low-pressure
center is stronger than
surface convergence, the
cyclone will intensify, and
vice versa
 When upper-level
convergence of air around
high-pressure center is weaker
than surface divergence, the
anticyclone will intensify, and vice
versa.
Air moves from high pressure
zones toward low pressure zones.
Strand 2.6
EEn.2.6.1 Differentiate between weather and climate.
EEn.2.6.2 Explain changes in global climate due to natural processes.
EEn.2.6.3 Analyze the impacts that human activities have on global climate change (such as burning hydrocarbons, greenhouse
effect, and deforestation).
EEn.2.6.4 Attribute changes to Earth’s systems to global climate change (temperature change, changes in pH of ocean, sea level
changes, etc.)
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Major climate categories
Climate Vs. Weather
 Climate
 Long-term weather patterns of an area
 Weather
 Current state of the troposphere
 Short term variations
The Köppen climate classification system uses mean monthly and annual values of temperature and
precipitation to classify climates
Tropical Climates
• Wet Tropical (Rain Forest ) and Tropical Wet and Dry ( Savanna Grasslands)
Humid Mid-Latitude With Mild Winter Climates
• Humid Subtropical ( hot humid summers and cool winters)
• Marine West Coast (cool summers and mild winters; dominated by maritime air masses
Humid Mid-Latitude With Severe Winter Climates
• Humid Continental Climate ( short, cool summers and severe winters)
• Subarctic (Bitterly cold winters and short, cool summers. Places within this climate realm
experience the highest annual temperature ranges on Earth)
Dry Climates
• Arid or Desert (yearly precipitation is
not as great as the potential loss of
water by evaporation.
• Semi-Arid or Steppe (Transition zone
surrounding desert and separates from
humid climates)
Polar Climates
• Mean temperature of the warmest
month is below 10°C.
• Nearly always night
• Extremely cold
• Very little precipitation
• Evaporation is very limited
• Tundra ( treeless region)
• Ice cap
Koppen Climate Map
Climate Changes
Volcanic Eruptions
• The presence of volcanic aerosols (ash, dust, and sulfur-based aerosols) in the air increases the
amount of solar radiation that is reflected back into space. This causes Earth’s lower atmosphere
to cool.
Ocean Circulation
• Changes in ocean circulation also can result in short-term climate fluctuations.
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Solar Activity
• When the sun is most active, it contains dark blemishes called sunspots. The formation of
sunspots appears to correspond with warm periods in Europe and North America.
Earth Motion
• When the sun is most active, it contains dark blemishes called sunspots. The formation of
sunspots appears to correspond with warm periods in Europe and North America.
• Changes in the shape of Earth’s orbit and the tilt of Earth on its axis are other Earth motions
that affect global climates.
El Niño
Climate Change
Effect of Methane
• Accounts for 20% of the 'enhanced greenhouse effect'.
• Lower concentrations than carbon dioxide, it produces 21 times as much warming as CO2.
• Two thirds of global methane comes from man-made sources, such as the burning of fossil fuel,
the accidental release during drilling for natural gas or from cattle ranching
Effect of Deforestation
• source of carbon emissions
• forest soak up carbon dioxide
• Rainforest trees draw up huge amounts of water from the soil and release most of it into the
atmosphere providing more water to the clouds to be rained back on the forest.
• Evaporation also helps keep the forested landscape cool.
• Large-scale forest loss could dry out the local climate so much that it would be difficult or
impossible for the forests to grow back.
Effect of the Ozone Layer
• Changes in the ozone layer have been linked to observed shifts in seasonal surface winds over the
Southern Hemisphere, contributing to the Antarctic Peninsula warming and the high plateau
cooling.
• Climate change alters the atmosphere's temperature and circulation patterns, which in turn
affect the processes that deplete the ozone layer.
Greenhouse Effect
 A natural warming of both Earth’s lower atmosphere and Earth’s surface from solar radiation
being absorbed and emitted by the atmosphere.
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Global Warming
 As a result of increased levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, global
temperatures have increased. This increase is called global warming.
Carbon Cycle
Increases in CO2 causes acidity in the ocean
and increases in acid rain destroying forest.
ATMOSPHERE AND WEATHER REVIEW QUESTIONS
1. Rank these gases in order from highest to lowest concentration of earth’s atmosphere (highest
concentration means that it makes up the biggest part of the atmosphere): carbon dioxide, water vapor,
oxygen, nitrogen
2. Molecules in a substance with a high temperature move ______________(fast or slowly), while
molecules in a substance with a low temperature move_____________(fast or slowly).
3. What are the three types of heat transfer? Give an example of each!
a.
b.
c.
4. What molecule is important because it blocks harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun?
5. Describe what happens to temperature as you travel higher into the troposphere.
6. Describe what happens to air pressure as you travel higher into the troposphere.
7. In which layer of the atmosphere is the ozone layer found?
8. What would be the long term effect if the ozone layer were destroyed? *Remember what ozone
blocks!*
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9. Sketch a diagram of the water cycle. Be sure to label all the steps
(evaporation, condensation, precipitation, transpiration, infiltration, and surface runoff)
10. How do clouds form?
11. Which is more dense, warm air or cold air?
12. Why does warm air rise at a front and cold air stays close to the ground?
13. What is wind? What causes it?
14. Describe cumulonimbus, stratus and cirrus clouds.
15. Write the characteristics and full
names of the air masses with the correct
source region in the chart to the right.
16. The __________ Effect, where
winds curve to their right in the northern
hemisphere and left in the southern
hemisphere, occurs due to the
_________ of Earth.
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17. Which layer of the atmosphere is weather found in?
18. Which type of severe weather is measured on the Fujita Intensity Scale?
19.
20. Fill in the blanks using the following word bank:
Water Vapor
Dew point
Temperature
Evaporation
Heat
Condensation
Convection
Coalesce
Fahrenheit
Heat and temperature are not the same. ______________________ is a measure of how rapidly or slowly molecules
move. In contrast, _________________ is the transfer of energy that takes place because of temperature differences.
Temperature can be measured in degrees Fahrenheit, degrees Celsius, or Kelvins. The most commonly used
temperature scale in the United States is ____________________. The atmosphere’s temperature plays a role in the
formation of rain. The first step in cloud formation is when liquid water on the earth’s surface under goes
_____________and turns into a gas. Now in the atmosphere, _______________turns from a gas back into liquid cloud
droplets through _______________. Those cloud droplets _________ together and eventually form drops big enough to
fall from the sky as precipitation. The heat released goes on to fuel more ________________ cells. ***Air must be
saturated before condensation can occur. Saturation is the point at which the air holds as much water vapor as it
possibly can. The ______________ is the temperature to which air must be cooled at constant pressure to reach
saturation. Until this temperature is reached, condensation cannot occur and rain cannot fall.
21. Use the diagram below to answer the following question.
Which is the process of water vapor changing to a liquid?
a. Condensation
b. Convection
c. Radiation
d. Transpiration
22. What is the main energy source behind the water cycle?
a. Earth’s internal core energy
b. Sun’s radiation
c. Moon’s gravitational attraction
d. Radioactive decay of elements
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23. What type of clouds produce thunderstorms?
a. cirrus
b. stratus
c. cumulus
d. cumulonimbus
24. This table shows the Fujita Tornado Intensity Scale. According to this table, how fast are wind speeds during the
most violent Tornadoes? How long can F0 tornados last?
25. Air always moves from _______ (high or low) pressure to ________ (high or low) pressure.
26. Describe the formation of a tropical cyclone (hurricane). Fill in the blanks with the appropriate vocabulary words. No
word will be used twice.
Vocabulary:
Coalesce
Trade wind cells
Dry land
Precipitation Low
Coriolis Effect Condenses
Warm
Convection Cell
Latent Heat
Tropical cyclones form near the equator over _______________ ocean water. Air is forced up due to disturbances that
take place where the air from two _______________ converges. Water vapor gas in the air _______________ into liquid
water releasing energy in the form of latent heat. Air that has been warmed by the release of latent heat rises creating
_______________ pressure at the ocean surface. More air moves in to fill its place. As the air rises it cools. Water
droplets in the air _______________ (come together). Bigger water drops fall from the sky as _______________. Cool
air falls back down to the warm ocean surface. This whole cycle of energy transfer through the heating and cooling of air
is called a _______________. Because the Earth is spinning on its axis, the _______________ causes the air of a tropical
cyclone to rotate. Condensation releases more _______________, fueling the rotation of the cyclone faster and faster.
The storm loses energy when it moves over either _______________ or cold water because it is cut off from its fuel
source of warm water.
27. What is the calm center of a hurricane called?
CLIMATE AND CLIMATE CHANGE REVIEW QUESTIONS
28. Different parts of the Earth receive more or less solar radiation. Fill in the latitudes for each of the
following climate zones on the Earth.
Tropics = latitudes ____to ___°N and S
Temperate = latitudes ____to ___°N and S
Polar = latitudes ____to ___°N and S
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29. The area of the globe that receives the most solar radiation year round is called the ___________.
30. Climates are classified based on average monthly _____________ and _________________.
31. What is the difference between weather and climate?
32. How does Earth’s orbit affect our climate? Draw a diagram.
33. Earth’s tropical regions receive more of the Sun’s
energy than polar regions because they
`
a. contain a greater percentage of dry land.
b. have more vegetation to absorb the Sun’s
energy.
c. have a thinner atmosphere than the polar
regions.
d. receive a greater concentration of the Sun’s
rays.
34. According to the map, which 2 climates are found
closest to the poles?
a. Tropical wet and dry
b. Highlands and uplands
c. Semiarid and arid
d. Tundra and icecap
35. According to the map, what type of a climate do we have here in North Carolina?
a. Tropical wet
b. Dry- Arid
c. Mild – Humid Subtropical
d. Continental – Cool Summer
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36. How do large bodies of water affect temperature?
a. they keep places warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer because water heats up and cools down
more slowly than land.
b. they keep places cooler in the winter and warmer in the summer because water heats up and cools down
more quickly than land.
c. they don’t have an affect on temperature
37. Biomes are areas on Earth with similar __________________, __________________, and
___________________.
38. Throughout geologic time, the temperatures on Earth have been ________________.
a. only warmer than it is today.
b. always cooler than it is in the present.
c. a steady temperature.
d. both warmer and cooler than the present.
39. There have been more than __________ ice age on planet Earth. The most recent ice age ended
____________ years ago.
40. What natural event can block solar radiation and have a short-term effect on climate?
a. tsunami
b. earthquake
c. volcano
d. global warming
41. Using the climagram to the left, which month
has the lowest precipitation in Wilmington, NC?
42. Approximately what temperature °F is the
warmest average shown for this location?
43. Which is the independent variable in this
climagram?
44. Explain the greenhouse effect. Draw a diagram.
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45. How could planting trees help reduce global warming?
46. List 3 things that you can do to reduce your impact on global warming.
a.
b.
c.
47. List 3 common greenhouse gases.
48. Describe what has happened to levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere over the past 200 years.
49. Describe what has happened to global average
temperatures over the past 200 years.
50. Using the graph on the right, what probably caused
the major increase in CO2 in the atmosphere?
a. too much methane from cows
b. the industrial revolution
c. sea-floor spreading
d. CFCs in aerosols
51. Describe at least 3 negative impacts of climate change.
a.
b.
c.
52. What is the thermal expansion of water? Why should you be concerned if the water in the oceans under
goes thermal expansion?
53. As the ocean water gets warmer, what do you think will happen to the intensity and frequency of
hurricanes? Why? (Think about the source of energy for hurricanes).
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54. Human-caused emissions of CO2 are called anthropogenic emissions (anthro=man) (pogenic=caused).
Interpret the graph below to decide which statement is true about the relationship between human-caused
emissions and atmospheric concentrations of CO2.
a. Atmospheric concentrations of CO2 have
steadily decreased as human-caused emissions
have steadily increased.
b. Before 1850, humans were releasing so much
CO2 into Earth’s atmosphere that the values
will not even fit on the scale of this graph.
c. There is absolutely no correlation between
human-caused emissions and atmospheric
concentrations of CO2.
d. Since the 1960s, atmospheric concentrations of
CO2 have risen at a rate approximately equal to that of anthropogenic emissions
55. The earth’s atmosphere is mainly composed of which two gases?
a. nitrogen and oxygen
b. Carbon dioxide and nitrogen
c. methane and oxygen
d. oxygen and carbon dioxide
56. How does a cold front form?
a. Warm air advances and replaces cold air
b. Cold air advances, forcing warm air to rise
c. Warm and cold air masses mix and meet
d. Warm and cold air masses have no relative advancement
57. On an August afternoon in NC, the barometric pressure is 29.92 inches and falling. What weather
condition is likely to happen?
a. Clearing skies and cooler temperatures
c. An imminent storm
b. Continued fair weather
d. Conditions will slowly improve
58. What is the major difference between weather and climate?
a. Air temperature
b. Air pressure
c. Humidity
d. Time
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59. What type of pressure system is a hurricane associate with?
a. High
b. Medium
c. Low
60. Which of the following is an example of climate?
a. The current temperature in Pinehurst, NC
b. The relative humidity in Raleigh, NC
c. The average current temperature in a region
d. The average temperature in Raleigh, NC over the past 30 years
ADITIONAL ATMOSPHERE, WEATHER, CLIMATE, and CLIMATE CHANGE MULTIPLE CHOICE PRACTICE
61. How does heat from the sun get to Earth?
a. by radiation, using electromagnetic waves to transfer the heat
b. by convection, using liquids and gases to transfer the heat
c. by conduction, using solids to transfer the heat
d. by absorption, using primary waves to transfer the heat
62. In which atmospheric layer of Earth do thunderstorms occur?
e. thermosphere
f. mesosphere
g. stratosphere
h. troposphere
63. Which gas makes up the largest component of the Earth’s atmosphere?
a. argon (Ar)
b. oxygen (O2)
c. nitrogen (N2)
d. carbon dioxide (CO2)
64. Which statement describes the general movement of air masses?
a. They move from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure.
b. They move from areas of high altitude to areas of low altitude.
c. They move from areas of low humidity to areas of high humidity.
d. They move from areas of low temperature to areas of high temperature.
65. Which most likely occurs when a fast-moving cold air mass moves into a region of warmer, moist air?
a. It causes light precipitation for a long period of time.
b. It causes light precipitation for a short period of time.
c. It causes heavy precipitation for a long period of time.
d. It causes heavy precipitation for a short period of time.
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66. Which contributes to the formation of hurricanes during the late summer?
a. the interaction between ocean water salinity and warm air masses
b. the interaction between ocean water currents and polar air masses
c. the interaction between ocean water temperatures and warm air masses
d. the interaction between ocean water salinity and ocean water density
67. How is climate different from weather?
a. Climate is constantly changing, whereas weather changes slowly over time.
b. Climate influences people’s daily activities, whereas weather influences people’s seasonal
activities.
c. Climate refers to the atmospheric conditions on a given date, whereas weather refers to the
atmospheric conditions during a given season.
d. Climate is based on observations made for a region over several years, whereas weather is
based on day-to-day observations made for a region.
68. Since 1901, global surface temperatures have risen at an average rate of 0.13°F every ten years. In which way
could the average increase in global temperatures influence Earth?
a. by decreasing erosion within coastal ecosystems
b. by decreasing periods of drought in all water systems
c. by increasing the amount of flooding because of rising sea levels
d. by increasing the formation of sea ice within polar regions
69. Which storm most likely develops as air masses interact with the warm water in the northwest Pacific Ocean?
a. typhoon
b. tornado
c. blizzard
d. monsoon
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