Weather and Climate Flashcards
True or False: The amount of water on the earth (in all forms) is about the same as it was millions of years ago.
True
What is the water cycle?
It shows how water moves from the ground to the atmosphere and back again.
True or False: Water is the only substance on earth that can be found naturally in all three of its states.
True
What percentage of all the world’s water is in the ocean?
95%
Evaporation
The sun (or heat from any source) causes water droplets to turn into a gaseous form, a vapor.
Why does water vapor travel up into the atmosphere?
Because it is less dense than liquid water or solid water.
What happens to the temperature when water is evaporated into the atmosphere?
It gets cooler.
What happens to the water vapor in our atmosphere when the temperature cools?
It turns into tiny, tiny water droplets, aka: CLOUDS.
What is condensation?
When gaseous water cools and turns into tiny water droplets.
True or False: Air currents can move tiny water droplets.
True.
The wind moves clouds, which are just made of tiny tiny water droplets.
What happens when clouds absorb more and more water droplets?
Eventually, some of them get released, and they are pulled down to the ground by gravity.
Precipitation
Water droplets falling from the atmosphere, returning to the ground and the ocean.
Why does some rain turn to snow?
Because the water droplets freeze and crystallize on the way down from clouds due to freezing temperatures.
True or False: There is more than one way for water to go through the water cycle.
True - not all water comes from the ocean.
How old can glaciers be?
Thousands of years old.
Most glaciers today are remnants from the ice age over 10,000 years ago.
How does water that is absorbed by plants return to the atmosphere?
It evaporates through tiny holes in the leaves called stomata.
Transpiration
The exhalation of tiny water droplets through the stomata
True or False: Drinking water is a limited resource.
True
True or False: Water eventually disappears and new water is created.
FALSE.
Water cannot be created or destroyed. The same amount of water always exists, it is just in various places within the water cycle.
How does gravity help the water cycle?
Gravity pulls water droplets from the sky back to the ground (precipitation), and causes water to travel downhill.
Precipitation would not exist without gravity.
What two processes does sunlight influence?
Transpiration and evaporation
What are the five main categories of weather (what “weather” is referring to)?
- Temperature
- Humidity
- Air Pressure
- Wind
- Precipitation
What is humidity?
How much water vapor is in the air.
True or False: The sun’s heat in the high atmosphere is what causes temperature changes and humidity in the air.
FALSE.
It is the lowest atmosphere.
True or False: Warm air is typically found near the equator.
True
How does the temperature of the air change as it gets closer to the poles?
It gets colder.
Do air masses that form over land have more or less humidity than those that form over an ocean?
LESS
True or False: Air masses can change characteristics as they move, changing temperature and humidity.
True
What is an air mass?
A large volume of air that is most uniform in humidity and temperature. This volume travels together because of the similarity in makeup.
What are the two types of pressure system?
High and low
How does a high pressure system work?
The center of the air mass has higher pressure than the areas around it, so the air moves out from the center.
What is the typical result of a high pressure system?
Clear skies
How does a low pressure system work?
The center of the air mass has lower pressure than the areas around it, so air is sucked into the center of the system.
What is the typical result of a low pressure system?
More intense weather like clouds and storms.
Is a Front associated with a low or high pressure system?
Low
What is a front?
A boundary that forms when air masses of different temperatures collide. It is the boundary between the two air masses.
True or False: There is more than one type of front, depending on how the different air masses collide.
True
What is a warm front?
When a warm air mass moves in to replace a cold air mass. The warm air rises above the cold air causing overcast skies, mild precipitation and warm temperatures.
True or False: Warm air is denser than cold air.
False
What is a cold front?
When a cold air mass moves in to replace a warm air mass. The dense, cold air pushes the warm air upwards, causing giant clouds to billow overhead, strong winds, thunderstorms, and cool temperatures.
What is weather?
The state of the atmosphere at a given time and place.
In general, how do air masses move between pressure systems?
They move from high pressure to low pressure
Why do clouds turn grey when it’s about to rain?
Clouds get thicker with more water vapor, so it becomes harder for light to pass all the way through.
What is a current?
The term we use to describe how fast air/water flows in relation to the air/water around it.