Term
| How does weather and climate differ? |
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Definition
Weather - events occurring now
Climate - weather that occurs year long |
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Term
| List the items found in the atmosphere along with its percentage. |
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Definition
Nitrogen - 78%
Oxygen - 21#
other gases - 2% |
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Term
| Explain the difference between primary pollutants and secondary pollutants. Give examples of each. |
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Definition
Primary Pollutant - pollutants that enter the atmosphere from a visible source
Secondary Pollutant - pollutants that enter the atmosphere through other methods |
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Term
| Where is ozone found? What is its purpose? |
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Definition
| Ozone is in the stratosphere. Its purpose is to lock in heat. |
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Term
| What happens to pressure and temperature as you increase in altitude? |
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Definition
| Pressure and temperature decreases. |
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Term
| Explain the differences between rotation and revolution. |
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Definition
Rotation - the spinning of a body on its axis (day and night)
Revolution - the movement of a body around another body (365.25 days) |
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Term
| List the layers of the atmosphere from the Earth's surface upward. |
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Definition
| Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Thermosphere |
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Term
| Explain the difference between solstice and equinox. List the dates for spring and fall equinox as well as the summer and winter solstice. |
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Definition
Solstice - winter (shorter days and longer nights); summer (longer days and shorter nights)
Equinox - day and night are equal in length (fall and spring) |
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Term
| Differentiate between the tree ways heat is transferred. |
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Definition
| Conduction, radiation, and convection |
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Term
| What happens to solar radiation? |
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Definition
| Solar Radiation - 50% is absorbed on earth, 20% is absorbed in clouds, 30% is reflected off clouds |
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Term
| Explain the difference between reflection and scattering. |
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Definition
Reflection - rays bouncing off clouds
Scattering - rays are moving in all directions |
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Term
| List the ways temperature can vary on Earth. |
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Definition
| Land hears up quick and cools quickly, water heats up slowly and cools slowly, as you move up a mountain temperatures cool off. as you move up in altitude temperatures cool down, clouds help lock in the temperature at night and reflect off radiation during the day. |
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Term
| How do temperatures vary form land to sea? |
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Definition
| Land heats up quick and cools quickly, water heats up slowly and cools slowly |
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Term
| What is albedo and how does it change from day to night? |
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Definition
| clouds help lock in the temperatures at night and reflect off radiation during the day |
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Term
| How does altitude affect temperature? |
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Definition
| as you move up in altitude, temperatures cool down |
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Term
| Explain air pressure. What unit do we measure pressure? |
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Definition
| air pressure in a force exerted in all directions, millibars |
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Term
| What is a barometer? List the two types. |
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Definition
| tool measuring air pressure, mercury and aneroid |
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Term
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Definition
| sun and pressure differences |
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Term
| Winds move from a ____ to ____ pressure system? |
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Definition
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Term
| Describe an isobar. What happens if they are closely spaced together? Far apart? |
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Definition
| isobars are lines of equal pressure, closely spaced lines are low pressure and widely spaced lines are high pressure |
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Term
| Describe a high and low pressure system. Include weather conditions too. |
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Definition
high pressure system - good weather (anti-cyclone moving clockwise)
low pressure system - stormy weather (cyclone moving counterclockwise) |
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Term
| What direction does the Coriolis effect spin in the Northern Hemisphere? |
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Definition
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Term
| How does friction affect wind? |
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Definition
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Term
| What direction does the jet stream travel in the northern hemisphere? |
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Definition
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Term
| where do you find friction at its strongest point? |
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Definition
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Term
| Describe the movement of cyclones and anticyclones. |
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Definition
| cyclones move counterclockwise, anti-cyclones move clockwise |
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Term
| Describe the movement of trade winds, westerlies and polar easterlies. |
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Definition
trade winds - move east to west
westerlies - move west to east
polar easterlies - move east to west |
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Term
| Explain the difference between land and sea breezes. How are they different in the day as to the night? |
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Definition
| land breezes occur at night where wind moves from the land to sea, sea breezes occur during the day where wind moves from sea to land |
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Term
| What instrument is used to determine the direction of the wind? |
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Definition
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Term
| How do you classify the direction of the wind? |
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Definition
| by the direction it came from |
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Term
| Describe the difference between El Nino and La Nina. |
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Definition
El Nino - the periodic warming of the oceans
La Nina - the periodic cooling of the oceans |
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