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| What is the difference between weather and climate? | Weather is day-to-day conditions in the Earth's atmosphere at a particular time and place; climate refers to the average, year-after-year conditions of temperature & precipitation in a particular region. |
| What causes weather? | Interplay of factors like the trapping of heat by the atmosphere, latitude, transport of heat by winds & ocean currents, amount of precipitation that results, shape & elevation of landmasses. |
| What drives Earth's weather? | The energy of incoming sunlight drives our weather & helps determine climate. |
| What factors maintain Earth's temperature range? | Carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, and a few other atmospheric gases trap heat energy & maintain Earth's temperature range. |
| What is the greenhouse effect? | The natural situation in which heat is retained in Earth's atmosphere by carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, and other gases. |
| What effect do the greenhouse gases have on the Earth's temperature? | Without them, the temperature would be 30 Celsius degrees cooler than it is today. (F = 9/5C + 32, so that's an 86 degree difference in Fahrenheit degrees!!) |
| Why does the Earth have 3 main climate zones? | Differences in latitude and the angle of heating create the zones. |
| What are Earth's 3 main climate zones? | polar, temperate, tropical |
| Where are polar zones located? | They're around the North and South poles (66.5 degrees and 90 degrees N and S). |
| Where are the temperate zones located? | They're between the polar and tropic zones. They have seasons. |
| Where are the tropical zones? | They're near the equator between 23.5 degrees N and 23.5 degrees S latitudes. |
| Why do temperate and polar zones have cooler climates than the tropical zone? | Regions at higher latitudes receive less heat energy per unit area than do regions near the equator, and the cooler climates result. |
| How is heat transported in the biosphere? | Winds and ocean current transport the heat into the biosphere. |
| What factor drives winds and ocean currents? | They're driven by the unequal heating of the Earth's surface. |
| How are winds formed? | Warm air rises; cool air sinks; upward movement of warm air and downward movement of cool air create wind. |
| What is an upwelling? | Cold water near the poles sinks, flowing parallel to the ocean bottom; they eventually rise in warmer regions through the process called upwelling. |
| What is a rain shadow? | It's an area with a dry climate on the far side of a mountain. |
| How can a mountain affect weather? | A mountain causes moist air to rise, cooling the air mass; moisture then condenses, forming clouds that bring precipitation to the mountain. When the air mass gets over the mt., it has lost most of its moisture. |
| Which gases keep heat energy in Earth's atmosphere? | carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, & some other atmospheric gases. |
| Explain how greenhouse gases help the range of Earth's temperatures remain stable. | These gases let sunlight hit Earth's surface, where it becomes heat energy; trapping that heat energy helps maintain our temperature range. |
| What creates/causes the 3 main climate zones on Earth? | Differences in the angle of heating by the sun. |
| What 5 factors affect our climate? | trapping of heat by the atmosphere; latitude; transport of heat by winds & ocean currents; the amount of precipitation that results; the shape and elevation of landmasses. |
