Weather Factors

Front 1

What two parts make up the Earths system?

Back 1

atmosphere and hydrosphere

Front 2

atmosphere

Back 2

is the envelope of gases that surrounds the planet

Front 3

hydrosphere

Back 3

is made up of the water on Earth

Front 4

weather

Back 4

the condition of Earth's atmosphere at a particular place.

Front 5

What does the energy from the sun do?

Back 5

warms both the gases in the atmosphere and water in the hydrosphere. Water evaporates from Earth's surface and forms water vapor in the atmosphere.

Front 6

Heat

Back 6

thermal energy that is transferred from a hotter object to a cooler one.

Front 7

How is heat transferred?

Back 7

convection, conduction and radiation

Front 8

convection

Back 8

the transfer of heat by the movement of a fluid.

Front 9

conduction

Back 9

the transfer of heat between two substances that are in direct contact

Front 10

radiation

Back 10

the direct transfer of energy from electromagnetic waves.

Front 11

temperature

Back 11

measures the average energy of motion in the particles in a substance.

Front 12

thermal energy

Back 12

measures the total energy of motion in the particles of a substance.

Front 13

thermometer

Back 13

a device that measures temperature.

Front 14

How are tropospheres heated?

Back 14

radiation, conduction and convection work together

Front 15

How does water move through the atmosphere?

Back 15

through the water cycle

Front 16

What does the upward movement of warm air and the downward movement of cool air form?

Back 16

connection currents

Front 17

water cycle

Back 17

the continuous process by which water moves from the Earth's surface to the atmosphere and back again.

Front 18

How does the water move in the water cycle?

Back 18

Between land, living things, bodies of water on earth's surface and atmosphere.

Front 19

evaporation

Back 19

the process in which the molecules at the surface of a liquid absorb enough energy to change to a gaseous state.

Front 20

transpiration

Back 20

Plants draw in water from the soil through their roots. Eventually the water is given off through the leaves as water vapor.

Front 21

precipitation

Back 21

Water that falls to Earth as rain, snow, hail or sleet.

Front 22

runoff

Back 22

the process when a small amount of remaining water runs off the surface into streams and lakes.

Front 23

What is the source of almost all fresh water on and below earth's surface?

Back 23

precipitation

Front 24

How is temperature affected?

Back 24

latitude, altitude, distance from large bodies of water and ocean currents

Front 25

latitude

Back 25

the distance from the equator measured in degrees.

Front 26

What three temperature zones are the earth's surface divided into?

Back 26

temperature zone (most of the US), tropical zone (most of Africa) and polar zone.

Front 27

How does the top (peak) of a mountain stay cold in relation to its base?

Back 27

Altitude is a more important climate factor than latitude. In the troposphere temperature decreases about 44 degrees for every 1km increase in altitude. As a result, mountainous areas are cooler than the lower areas around them.

Front 28

Distance from large bodies of water

Back 28

The oceans or large lakes affect temperatures. The oceans greatly moderate or make less extreme the temperature of nearby land. Water heats up about five times more slowly than land. It also cools down more slowly.

Front 29

What is influenced by ocean currents?

Back 29

areas along the coasts

Front 30

ocean current

Back 30

streams of water winton the ocean that move in regular patterns.

Front 31

prevailing winds

Back 31

winds that usually blow in one direction in a region- move air around.

Front 32

How does a mountain ranges influence where precipitation falls?

Back 32

when it is a path of prevailing winds

Front 33

What are the main factors that affect precipitation?

Back 33

prevailing winds, the presence of mountains, jet streams and seasonal winds.

Front 34

What side of the mountain does rain or snow fall?

Back 34

windward side

Front 35

windward side

Back 35

the side the wind hits

Front 36

leeward side

Back 36

downwind- is in the rain shadow- little precipitation falls there

Front 37

Jet stream

Back 37

10-15 kilometers (6-9 miles) above earth's surface

Front 38

What happens is a subtropical jet stream meets a storm?

Back 38

it can make the weather event more severe

Front 39

monsoons

Back 39

sea and land breezes over a large region that change direction with the seasons.

Front 40

What can seasonal change in wind patterns affect?

Back 40

rainfall

Front 41

density

Back 41

the amount of mass in a given volume of air

Front 42

How do you calculate density?

Back 42

by dividing the mass by the volume

Front 43

What happens if there are more molecules in a given volume?

Back 43

density is greater

Front 44

What happens if there are fewer molecules in a given volume?

Back 44

density is less

Front 45

pressure

Back 45

the force pushing on an area or surface

Front 46

What is the result of the weight of a column of air pushing on an area?

Back 46

air pressure

Front 47

What are two kinds of barometers?

Back 47

mercury and aneroid

Front 48

What does a barometer measure?

Back 48

it is an instrument that measures air pressure

Front 49

altitude

Back 49

the distance above sea level

Front 50

What happens when air pressure decreases?

Back 50

density decreases

Front 51

What happens as altitudes increases?

Back 51

air pressure decreases

Front 52

What happens when you go through the atmosphere?

Back 52

the density of the air decreases

Front 53

What does it mean when it says the density of the air decreases?

Back 53

the gas molecules that make up the atmosphere are farther apart at high altitudes than they are at sea level

Front 54

wind

Back 54

the movement of air parallel to earth's surface

Front 55

How does wind move?

Back 55

areas of high pressure (spiral outward) to areas of lower pressure (spiral inward)

Front 56

What are most differences in air pressure causes by?

Back 56

unequal heating of the atmosphere

Front 57

local winds

Back 57

winds that blow over the short distances

Front 58

What causes local winds?

Back 58

the unequal heating of earth's surface within a small area

Front 59

sea breeze

Back 59

a local wind that blows from an ocean or lake

Front 60

Why does the land warm up faster than the water during the day?

Back 60

the air over the land gets warmer than the air over the water. This warm air is less dense. It expands and rises creating a low pressure area.

Front 61

land breeze

Back 61

the flow of air from land to a body of water

Front 62

When does a land breeze occur?

Back 62

at night

Front 63

When does a sea breeze occur?

Back 63

during the day

Front 64

humidity

Back 64

is the measure of the amount of water vapor in the air

Front 65

relative humidity

Back 65

the percentage of water vapor that is actually in the air compared to the maximum amount of water vapor the air can hold at a particular temperature.

Front 66

What does it mean if the air has a 100% relative humidity?

Back 66

it is saturated

Front 67

How is relative humidity measured?

Back 67

psychrometer

Front 68

What parts does a psychrometer have?

Back 68

a wet bulb and a dry bulb