Download unit 11 - study guide

UNIT 11 - STUDY GUIDE
The Water Cycle 11.1
The water cycle is the movement of water between the atmosphere, land, and the
ocean. The water cycle is powered by the sun’s energy. As the water goes through
evaporation, condensation, and precipitation it changes it state.
Water absorbs energy as it changes state from a liquid to gas (evaporation) as it melts
from a solid to a liquid (melting), and as a solid to a gas (sublimation).
Water releases energy as it changes from a liquid to a solid (freezing), as it changes
from a gas to a solid (depositing), and from a gas to a liquid (condensing).
Transpiration is when plants release water vapor through tiny openings (stomata) on
the plant’s body.
Elements of Water 11.2
Weather is the condition of Earth’s atmosphere at a certain time and place.
Meteorologists use many tools to measure these conditions. For example, a barometer
is used to measure air pressure. Air pressure is greatest at sea level, and decreases as
you go higher in the atmosphere. If the barometer measurement is falling, that means
that air pressure is going lower.
Precipitation is rain, snow, sleet, and hail. Rain can be measured with a rain gauge,
while snow is measured with a meterstick
What Influences Weather 11.3
An air mass is a large amount of air that has the same temperature and same moisture
content throughout.
Air masses take on the temperature and moisture content of the land or water below it.
- dry air masses form over continents
- moist air masses form over oceans
- cold air masses form in higher latitudes (cold regions)
- warm air masses form in tropical latitudes (warm regions)
Air masses bring those characteristics to new regions when they move.
Severe Weather and Safety 11.4
Lightning is an electric discharge that happens when positively charged areas are
attracted to negatively charged areas in the atmosphere.
Lightning superheats the air along the strike. The air expands rapidly and releases
sound waves known as thunder.
Severe weather includes hail, lightning, high winds, tornadoes, hurricanes, and floods.
- hail can damage crops and cars, and can break windows
- lightning can start forest fires and kill or injure people and animals
- winds from tornadoes and hurricanes can uproot trees and destroy homes
- flooding is also a leading cause of weather related deaths.
Natural Disasters in Florida 11.5
Hurricanes are low pressure systems with severe thunderstorms and high speed winds.
They are the most violent storms on Earth. Hurricanes form over warm ocean waters.
If it travels over cold water or high mountains, it will die out.
Heavy rains in low lying areas can cause flooding. Floods are dangerous because fastmoving water can sweep people and cars away, and cause contamination of the
drinking-water supply.
Sinkholes can swallow cars and people, damage homes, and even destroy whole city
blocks. Wildfires can be caused by lightning and spread quickly, causing loss of life and
property.
Climate – 11.6
Climate describes the weather conditions in an area over a long period of time. Climate
is mostly determined by temperature and precipitation, but it is also affected by
topography and elevation. (Topography refers to the surface features of an area and
elevation is the height of an area above sea level.) An example of this is the “Rain
Shadow Effect”, where warm, moist air rises up the side of a mountain, as it cools it
releases rain, then it continues over the other side of the mountain as dry air.
There are 3 major climate zones in each hemisphere. They are topical (located
between 0°-30° latitude), temperate (30°-60° latitude), and polar (60°-90° latitude).
Tropical areas are generally warm, temperate areas have mild temperatures, and polar
areas are cold.