Weather and Climate

Question 1

altitude

Answer 1

the elevation above sea level

Question 2

anemometer

Answer 2

an instrument used to measure wind speed

Question 3

atmospheric scientist

Answer 3

scientist who studies the atmosphere

Question 4

humidity

Answer 4

the amount of water vapor in the air

Question 5

front

Answer 5

a boundary where a mass of air meets another air mass of a different temperature

Question 6

ocean currrent

Answer 6

regular movements of large amounts of water in the ocean

Question 7

precipitation

Answer 7

the movement of water, in solid or liquid form, from the atmosphere back to the surface of the earth. Rain, sleet, snow, hail are examples.

Question 8

prevailing wind

Answer 8

the most common wind direction for a region. On earth, the direction of the prevailing winds are related to the latitude of the region, the angular distance of a place north or south of the earth’s equator.

Question 9

weather

Answer 9

the condition of the atmosphere, including temperature, precipitation, and cloud cover, in a particular time and place

Question 10

climate

Answer 10

the average weather in a place over a long time, generally 30 year patterns

Question 11

Latitude

Answer 11

a measure of the distance from the equator.

Question 12

If the wind starts out over water,

Answer 12

the wind carries more water

Question 13

If winds begin over land,

Answer 13

the air mass is dryer

Question 14

Cool air holds less

Answer 14

moisture

Question 15

A mountain is a barrier that pushes the air upward, and this causes the air to______.

Answer 15

cool

Question 16

rain shadow effect

Answer 16

deserts often are found on the leeward side (the side away from the wind) of mountains

Question 17

Warm ocean currents, like the Gulf Stream

Answer 17

move heat from near the equator to the colder north

Question 18

Temperature

Answer 18

measured in either degrees Fahrenheit or degrees Celsius

Question 19

slight breeze

Answer 19

wind that just makes the leaves rustle

Question 20

gentle breeze

Answer 20

Wind that moves leaves and twigs

Question 21

strong breeze

Answer 21

Wind that makes the branches sway

Question 22

moderate gale

Answer 22

When whole trees move from wind

Question 23

hurricane

Answer 23

a severe tropical storm that has winds exceeding 110 km per hour that rotate at a calm center

Question 24

hydrologist

Answer 24

scientist who studies the distribution and movement of water

Question 25

weather vane

Answer 25

measures wind direction

Question 26

barometer

Answer 26

a tool that measures air pressure

Question 27

high pressure system

Answer 27

essentially a clockwise flow of dry, sinking air that typically builds into a region behind a departing storm system

Question 28

cold front

Answer 28

the boundary of an advancing mass of cold air, in particular the trailing edge of the warm sector of a low-pressure system

Question 29

warm front

Answer 29

the boundary of an advancing mass of warm air, in particular the leading edge of the warm sector of a low-pressure system

Question 30

stationary front

Answer 30

forms when a cold front or warm front stops moving. This happens when two masses of air are pushing against each other but neither is powerful enough to move the other

Question 31

carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane

Answer 31

compounds that holds heat in our atmosphere

Question 32

Humans burn a lot of fossil fuels such as coal and oil, for fuel and to generate electricity- This gives off a lot of ______________.

Answer 32

carbon dioxide

Question 33

deforestation

Answer 33

As the world’s need for lumber increases, we continue to cut down more trees than we replace-

Question 34

Melting ice caps

Answer 34

could cause rising sea levels and coastal flooding

Question 35

Climatologists

Answer 35

scientists who develop databases with historical information about the Earth’s climate

Question 36

models

Answer 36

used to predict the impact of global warming on the Earth