Download Key to pages 1-3

STUDY GUIDE KEY
Weather Test Study Guide
Vocabulary: Know the meanings of the following words:
Barometer - TOOL USED TO MEASURE AIR PRESSURE
Land Breeze - LAND COOLS FASTER THAN THE SEA AND WARM AIR RISES FROM THE
SEA, PULLING IN AIR FROM THE COOLER LAND SURFACE
Sea Breeze - LAND HEATS UP FASTER THAN WATER AND WARM AIR RISES FROM THE
LAND, PULLING IN COOL AIR FROM THE SEA
Altitude - THE HEIGHT ABOVE SEA LEVEL
Latitude - THE DISTANCE FROM THE EQUATOR
Psychrometer - A TOOL THAT MEASURES RELATIVE HUMIDITY
Cold Front - A COLD AIR MASS FORCES WARM AIR TO RISE AND COOL
Warm Front - A WARM AIR MASS RIDES UP AND OVER COOLER AIR
Weather - THE TEMPORARY STATE OF THE ATMOSPHERE AT A GIVEN PLACE AND TIME
Climate - THE AVERAGE WEATHER CONDITIONS OF A PLACE OVER TIME.
Air Masses
Know the characteristics of an air mass. CONSISTENT TEMPERATURE AND MOISTURE CONTENT
THROUGHOUT
Understand that air masses with different properties do not mix easily.
Know what is formed when two air masses with different properties try to mix. __FRONT____
Know what the visible results of the interactions of air masses are called. _____CLOUDS_______
Know what provides the energy needed to make the weather. _____SUN_______
1
STUDY GUIDE KEY
Latitude and Altitude
Be able to answer the following questions in terms of latitude and altitude.
•
Why is it always so cold at the South and North Pole?
THEY ARE FARTHEST AWAY FROM THE EQUATOR. AS LATITUDE INCREASES,
TEMPERATURE DECREASES.
•
Why is it that we can have snow-covered mountains in Peru, which is very close to the
equator, where it is hot and humid year round?
AREAS AT HIGHER ALTITUDES ARE COOLER. AS ALTITUDE INCREASES, TEMPERATURE
DECREASES.
Pressure Systems
Know what kind of pressure center fronts usually extend from. ____LOW_______
Know what kinds of weather high and low pressures bring.
HIGH PRESSURE = CLEAR, DRY, COOLER CONDITIONS (GOOD WEATHER)
LOW PRESSURE = CLOUDY, MORE HUMID, PRECIPITATION (BAD WEATHER)
Understand how air moves in high and low pressure systems.
LOW PRESSURE = AIR IS RISING SLOWLY; CAUSED WHEN AIR WARMS UP
HIGH PRESSURE = AIR IS SINKING FASTER SO PUSHING MORE PRESSURE ON THE GROUND; AIR
COOLS OVER THE OCEAN AND BEGINS TO SINK
Clouds
Know how to explain what cloud types mean based on the parts of their name.
For example, altostratus means “mid-level stratus cloud.”
Know meanings of:
Alto___MID-LEVEL__________
Cirro ____HIGH-LEVEL_________
Nimbus ____MULTI-LAYER; BRINGING RAIN_______________
Know that no prefix means “Low level.”
2
STUDY GUIDE KEY
Global Wind Patterns & Coriolis Force
Know what causes wind.
UNEVEN HEATING OF THE EARTH’S SURFACE/ATMOSPHERE CAUSING THE EQUATOR TO
HAVE MORE ENERGY THAN THE POLES
Understand how easterlies and westerlies are named.
WINDS ARE NAMED FOR THE DIRECTION THEY START
– EASTERLIES MOVE FROM EAST TO WEST
– WESTERLIES MOVE FROM WEST TO EAST
Understand that warm air rises and cold air sinks. Cold air takes the place of warm air when it
rises.
– WARM AIR RISES BECAUSE IT IS NOT DENSE (PARTICLES ARE FURTHER APART)
– COLD AIR SINKS BECAUSE IT IS DENSE (PARTICLES ARE PACKED MORE CLOSELY
TOGETHER)
– HOT AIR IS LIGHTER THAN COLD AIR BECAUSE THE COLD AIR HAS MORE PARTICLES IN
THE SAME AMOUNT OF SPACE
– COLD AIR TAKES THE PLACE OF WARM AIR WHEN IT RISES
Air near the poles falls and air near the equator rises. Explain why.
– AIR NEAR THE POLES IS COLD, THEREFORE IT IS MORE DENSE
– AIR NEAR THE EQUATOR IS WARM, THERE FORE IT IS LESS DENSE
What effect does the Coriolis effect have on wind?
CAUSES IT TO CURVE
What would happen to the direction of winds without the Coriolis effect?
WINDS WOULD BLOW IN STRAIGHT LINES
Atmosphere
Be able to order the layers of the atmosphere in order.
(FROM CLOSEST TO FARTHEST FROM EARTH)
TROPOSPHERE
STRATOSPHERE
MESOSPHERE
THERMOSPHERE
EXOSPHERE
3