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Weather - Chapter 4 Assessment questions

Using your textbook, research and answer the following questions in complete sentences.

4.1 - What causes Climate?

1. Name 4 factors that affect temperature.

Latitude, altitude, distance from large bodies of water, and ocean currents affect temperature.

2. How does temperature vary in Earth’s temperature zones?

In general, temperature becomes lower toward the poles.

3. Two locations are at the same latitude in the temperate zone. One location is in the middle of the continent, the other is on the coast affected by the warm ocean current. How will the climate differ between the two locations?

The location in the middle of a continent will have a more extreme climate with cold winters and hot summers. The location near the coast will have warm summers and mild winters.

4. List 3 factors that affect precipitation.

Prevailing winds, mountain ranges, and seasonal winds affect precipitation.

5. How do prevailing winds affect the amount of precipitation an area receives?

Prevailing winds might bring moist air masses or dry air masses to a region. The amount of water vapor in an air mass influences how much precipitation will fall.

6. How does a mountain range in the path of prevailing winds affect precipitation on either side of the mountain?

There is likely to be a great deal of precipitation on the windward side of the mountain and little precipitation on the leeward side.

7. What causes the seasons?

The tilt of the earth’s axis as it rotates around the sun.

8. Describe how the seasons are related to the Earth’s orbit around the sun.

When the north end of the earth’s axis points toward the sun, the Northern Hemisphere receives sunlight at a more direct angle and has more hours of daylight. It is summer. During the Northern hemisphere winter, sunlight strikes the Northern hemisphere less directly and there are fewer hours of day light.

9. How might the Earth’s climates be different if the Earth were not tilted on its axis?

There would be no seasons, so climate would not vary much over the course of a year.

4.2 - Climate Regions

1. What two major factors are used to classify climates?

Temperature and precipitation are used to classify climates.

2. What additional factor did Wladimir Köppen use to classify climates?

Vegetation

3. How could a forest grow on a mountain that is surrounded by a desert?

Precipitation increases as air masses carrying moisture pass over mountains.

4.3 – Long Term Climate Change

1. What principle do scientists follow in studying ancient climates?

If plants or animals today need certain conditions to live, then similar plants and animals in the past also required those conditions.

2. What types of evidence do scientists gather to study changes in climate?

Fossil evidence, tree rings and pollen records.

3. A scientist studying tree rings in the cross section of an ancient tree finds several, narrow tree rings in a row. What does that tell the scientist about the climate in which those tree rings were formed?

The weather was very dry or very cool during those years.

4. What is a glacier?

A glacier is a huge sheet of flowing ice.

5. What occurs during an ice age?

Glaciers cover large parts of Earth’s surface and temperatures drop.

6. Compare the climate today with the climate that existed during the last ice age.

During an ice age, the climate was colder than it is today.

7. What are four factors that could be responsible for changing the Earth’s climate?

Earth’s position relative to the sun, changes in the sun’s energy output, volcanic activity, and movement of continents.

8. Select on of the four factors listed above. Summarize how that factor may cause climate change.

Earth’s position or tilt of its axis relative to the sun can increase or decrease the amount of solar radiation Earth receives.

Energy output from the sun is lower during sunspot minima. Ash and gases from volcanic eruptions can block some incoming solar radiation and cause cooler temperatures.

Movement of continents affects how much solar energy they receive and can affect global wind patterns and ocean currents, which in turn can change climate.

4.4 – Global Changes in the Atmosphere

1. What are two events that can cause short term climate change?

El Nino and La Nina

2. Describe the changes that occur in the Pacific Ocean and the atmosphere above it during El Nino.

Winds normally would keep warm water in the western Pacific weaken and warm water flows back to the eastern Pacific.

3. What affect does El Nino have on weather and climate?

Some regions may have heavy rains while other regions may have droughts.

4. What is global warming?

Global warming is a gradual increase in the temperature of Earth’s atmosphere.

5. Explain how scientists think increased carbon dioxide levels contribute to global warming.

Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas. Increasing the amount carbon dioxide in the atmosphere causes Earth’s atmosphere to hold more heat.

6. What affect have human activities had on the ozone layer?

The release of CFC’s into the atmosphere reduced the amount of ozone in the ozone layer.

7. Summarize the cause of ozone depletion and the steps taken to reverse it.

Ozone depletion occurred as a result of the release of CFC’s into the atmosphere. Under international treaties, production and use of CFC’s is now being phased out.

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