Download Changes in air pressure

Weather and Wind
Name _________________________________ Test Date ___________________
How does the Sun warm Earth?
1. Sunlight strikes Earth with the most vertical angle at the _________________________________.
2. An area near the _________________________________ receives less energy from sunlight than an area of the same
size near the _________________________________.
What are the layers of the atmosphere?
3. When energy from the Sun hits the Earth, 50 percent is absorbed by _________________________________, and
20 percent is absorbed or reflected by _________________________________.
4. Particles of gas in the air pressing on Earth’s surface create a force called _________________________________.
5. What is the lowest layer of the atmosphere called? _________________________________
6. Why is the troposphere so important?
_________________________________________________________________________________________
7. What is the layer above the troposphere called? _________________________________
8. Why is the stratosphere important? __________________________________________________________________
9. List the layers of the atmosphere:
What changes air pressure?
10. Atmospheric pressure decreases as altitude _________________________________.
11. As humidity increases, air pressure _________________________________.
12. Which weighs more, warm or cold air? _________________________________
13. What causes the weather to change? ____________________________________________________________
14. What type of weather should we expect if the barometer is rising? _________________________________
15. What type of weather should we expect if the barometer is falling? _________________________________
What are global winds?
16. A wind that blows steadily in a predictable direction over long distances is called a
_________________________________.
17. Winds that blow between 30o North and 30o South latitudes are called _________________________________.
18. Air pressure near the equator is _________________________________ than air pressure near the poles, a fact that
causes air to move from the _________________________________ toward the _________________________________.
19. Winds that blow south from the North Pole curve to the _________________________________ because of the
_________________________________.
What are local winds?
20. What causes local winds to blow? ___________________________________________________________________________________
21. During the day, the Sun heats land more quickly than it heats water, so a _________________________________
blows; during the night, water cools more slowly than land does, so a _________________________________ blows.
22. In the morning, valley breezes blow _________________________________; in the afternoon, mountain breezes blow
_________________________________.
How do we measure air pressure and wind?
23. Air pressure is measured with a _________________________________;
Humidity is measured with a _________________________________;
wind speed is measured with an _________________________________;
wind direction is measured with a _________________________________.
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
What are highs and low?
24. Areas on a weather map that have the same air pressure are connected with lines called
________________________.
25. Low pressure systems bring _________________________________ weather; high pressure systems bring
_________________________________ weather.
What are air masses and fronts?
26. An _________________________________ is a large region of the atmosphere in which air has similar properties
throughout.
27. Air masses meet at a _________________________________, the boundary between two air masses.
28. When a cold, dry, air mass meets a warm, moist, air mass, the cold air pushes the warm air
_________________________________, producing _________________________________ weather.
29. When it is warm and humid, _________________________________ weather will most likely follow.
30. Almost all weather fronts in North America are pushed from west to east by the
_________________________________.
What do weather maps tell you?
31. On a weather map, blue triangles on a line represent a _________________________________; read half-circles on a
line represent a _________________________________. These symbols show _________________________________ and
_________________________________ of weather patterns.
32. To make weather maps, meteorologists collect and analyze data such as _________________________________,
_________________________________, and _________________________________.
Weather and Wind
Name _________________________________ Test Date ___________________
How does the Sun warm Earth?
1. Sunlight strikes Earth with the most vertical angle at the
equator.
2. An area near the poles receives less energy from sunlight than
an area of the same size near the equator.
What are the layers of the atmosphere?
3. When energy from the Sun hits the Earth, 50 percent is
absorbed by Earth’s surface and
20 percent is absorbed or reflected by the atmosphere.
4. Particles of gas in the air pressing on Earth’s surface create a
force called air pressure.
5. What is the lowest layer of the atmosphere called? troposphere
6. Why is the troposphere so important? Where most of Earth’s
weather occurs
7. What is the layer above the troposphere called? stratosphere
8. Why is the stratosphere important? Contains the ozone layer
9. List the layers of the atmosphere:
What changes air pressure?
10. Atmospheric pressure decreases as altitude increases.
11. As humidity increases, air pressure decreases.
12. Which weighs more, warm or cold air? Cold air
13. What causes the weather to change? Changes in air
pressure
14. What type of weather should we expect if the barometer is
rising? Fair weather
15. What type of weather should we expect if the barometer is
falling? stormy
What are global winds?
16. A wind that blows steadily in a predictable direction over
long distances is called a global winds.
17. Winds that blow between 30o North and 30o South latitudes
are called trade winds.
18. Air pressure near the equator is lower than air pressure
near the poles, a fact that causes air to move from the poles
toward the equator.
19. Winds that blow south from the North Pole curve to the
right because of the Coriolis effect.
What are local winds?
20. What causes local winds to blow? Temperature and air
pressure differences.
21. During the day, the Sun heats land more quickly than it
heats water, so a sea breeze blows; during the night, water
cools more slowly than land does, so a land breeze blows.
22. In the morning, valley breezes blow upward in the
afternoon, mountain breezes blow downward.
How do we measure air pressure and wind?
23. Air pressure is measured with a barometer
Humidity is measured with a hygrometer;
wind speed is measured with an anemometer;
wind direction is measured with a weather vane.
barometer
hygrometer
anemometer
weather vane
What are highs and low?
24. Areas on a weather map that have the same air pressure are
connected with lines called isobars.
25. Low pressure systems bring warm and stormy weather;
high pressure systems bring dry and cool weather.
What are air masses and fronts?
26. An air mass is a large region of the atmosphere in which air
has similar properties throughout.
27. Air masses meet at a front the boundary between two air
masses.
28. When a cold, dry, air mass meets a warm, moist, air mass,
the cold air pushes the warm air upward producing stormy
weather.
29. When it is warm and humid, stormy weather will most
likely follow.
30. Almost all weather fronts in North America are pushed from
west to east by the jet stream.
What do weather maps tell you?
31. On a weather map, blue triangles on a line represent a cold
front; read half-circles on a line represent a warm front. These
symbols show direction and location of weather patterns.
32. To make weather maps, meteorologists collect and analyze
data such as temperature, wind speed, and air pressure.