This Semester we have studied a wide variety of topics and concepts that will be on your semester exam. Look at the list of topics below; make sure you fully understand each item on this list. If you don’t know what the topic is, you need to review it. There will be several questions about each of these topics on your semester exam.

The Water Cycle o Stages of the water cycle o Parts of a river o Density o Drainage Basins o Colorado River

The Atmosphere o Layers of the atmosphere & density o Percentages of gases o Air pressure o Unequal Heating o Greenhouse Effect

Weather and Climate o Causes of climate and weather o Climate zones & regions o Evidence of climate change o Ocean Currents
 Causes
 movement
 Warm vs. Cold
 Surface vs. deep o Air Masses and Fronts o Wind, Humidity, Cloud Formation, Temperature, Precipitation o Rain Shadow Effect o Cause of the Seasons

The Moon o Phases o Craters o Eclipses o Tides

The Universe and Solar System o Gravity o Rotation vs. Revolution o Measuring distances in space o Basic planet facts o Asteroids, Comets, Meteoroids o The Sun and Stars o Number of stars in a galaxy o The Milky Way Galaxy o Solar System formation o Universe formation

1. Make a drawing of how water changes from a solid to a liquid to a gas and back again.
Describe what causes the change ENERGY IS ADDED OR TAKEN AWAY and what each change is called.
LABELED IN THE DRAWING: CONDENSATION, EVAPORATION, MELTING, FREEZING
2. Make a drawing of the water cycle.
Describe what is occurring in each step SEE ABOVE DIAGRAM, what is causing each step ENERGY IS ADDED
OR TAKEN AWAY , and what the overall cause of the water cycle is UNEVEN HEATING & COOLING OF THE
EARTH .
3. Make a drawing of river.
CONTINENTAL DIVIDE
MOUTH,

4. List the locations of the Colorado River’s mouth GULF OF CALIFORNIA and source ROCKY MOUNTAINS and why the river’s discharge changes from year to year. VARRIES DEPENDING ON THE AMOUNT OF SNOWFALL &
RAINFALL AND HUMAN USEAGE
5. Describe what an ocean current is FLOW OF WATER THAT MOVES IN A REGULAR PATTERN LIKE A RIVER and what things affect the path of an ocean current LANDFORMS, WIND AND THE CORIOLIS EFFECT.
6. Make a drawing that shows ocean currents moving across the planet. On your drawing, show where the currents are warm and cold and explain why they are either warm or cold. Label the Gulf Stream.
7. Describe the 3 main climate zones. Give examples of places in each zone, what the zone is like, and what causes this type of climate.

8. Describe the climate of a city that is inland HIGHER TEMPERATURES AND LESS PRECIPITATION compared to a city that is by the coast COOLER TEMPERATURES AND MORE PRECIPITATION , AREAS INLAND HAVE
GREATER DIFFERENCES IN TEMPERATURE and why those differences exist WATER TEMPERATURE RISES AND
FALLS MORE SLOWLY THAN LAND OR AIR . Describe the climate of a city that is near the poles COLD NEAR
THE POLES compared to near the ocean MILDER CLIMATE, and explain why those differences exist. WATER
WARMS THE LAND , ANGLE OF THE SUNS RAYS ARE NOT AS DIRECTS.
9. Describe the difference between climate and weather. WEATHER IS WHAT IS HAPPENING “NOW” IN THE
ATMOSPHERE OR DAY TO DAY, AND CLIMATE IS HOW THE ATMOSPHERE "BEHAVES" OVER VERY LONG
PERIODS OF TIME.
Give an example of each. WEATHER WOULD BE A THUNDERSTORM; CLIMATE IS WHEN
YOUR REGION IS A DESERT
10. The climate of the earth is constantly changing. Describe evidence that has been found to prove that climates have changed in the past. FOSSILS OF PLANTS AND ANIMALS THAT CAN NO LONGER LIVE IN A
REGION; CHANGES IN THE COMPOSITION OF THE ATMOSPHERE OVER TIME
11. The 3 climate zones are subdivided into smaller groups called regions. List and describe a few regions.
DESERT: DRY, RAINFOREST: HIGH RAINFALL AND LUSH VEGETATION, MOUNTAIN: COOL, MORE
VEGETATION
12. List, draw, and describe the purpose of 5 tools used by meteorologists to study the weather. BAROMETER,
THERMOMETER, ANNEMOMETER, WIND VANE, COMPUTER MODELS, SATELITES, WEATHER BALLOONS
13. Make a drawing of the layers of the atmosphere and give 2 facts about each layer.
Describe what types of gases are found in the atmosphere. Then describe what atmospheric pressure is
PRESSURE THAT IS EXERTED BECAUSE THE AIR HAS MASS , how it affects the weather LOW PRESSURE IS
COOLER AND BRINGS BAD WEATHER, HIGH PRESSURE IS WARMER AND BRINGS NICE WEATHER and how it changes as you move higher in the atmosphere. PRESSURE DECREASES AS YOU MOVE HIGHER BECAUSE
PARTICLES ARE FARTHER APART
14. Describe what local REGIONAL LOWER ATMOSPHERE WINDS CAUSED BY TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE
DIFFERENCES ON A SMALL SCALE and global winds THOUSANDS OF KILOMETERS LONG, CASUED BY
DIFFERENCES IN TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE, AND THE CORIOLIS EFFECT are and what causes them.
15. Describe what a front is THE LEADING EDGE OF AN AIR MASS and what each type of front is like and the type of weather each one causes. COLD FRONT: VIOLENT STORMS WARM FRONT: RIAN AND SHOWERS

16. Make a drawing of the 8 phases of the moon in order and the name of each phase.
17. Describe the difference between rotation IS THE SPINNING OF AN OBJECT ON ITS AXIS (CAUSES DAYTIME
AND NIGHT TIME, ON EARTH, 24 HOURS) and revolution IS THE PATH OF AN OBJECT AROUND ANOHTER
OBJECT, EARTH’S PATH AROUND THE SUN: 365.25 DAYS . Explain what each one causes and how long each takes on earth.
18. Make a drawing of the sun and Earth during each season and label which hemisphere has summer or winter. Describe what causes us to have seasons on Earth. THE TILT OF THE EARTH’S AXIS AT 23.5
0

19. Make a drawing the sun, moon and Earth during a solar and lunar eclipse.
20. Make a list of the 8 planets in our solar system in order, and list 2 facts about each.
MERCURY,
VENUS,
EARTH,
MARS,
JUPITER,
SATURN,
URANUS,
NEPTUNE
21. How are the inner TERRESTRIAL MADE OF ROCK, METALS AND OTHER EARTH-LIKE MATERIALS and outer
GAS GIANTS MADE MOSTLY OF GASES planets different from each other.
22. Describe the difference between an A.U. AN ASTRONOMICAL UNIT (MEASURES DISTANCE BETWEEN
OBJECTS IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM) IS THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE SUN AND THE EARTH and a light year (MEASURES DISTANCE BETWEEN OBJECTS IN THE UNIVERSE) IS THE DISTANCE LIGHT TRAVELS IN A
YEAR . Which is longer LIGHT YEAR and what would you measure with each.
23. Describe how the Sun compares to other stars MEDIUM SIZED STAR AND AVERAGE TEMPERATURE .
Explain why the sun appears so much bigger and brighter than the other stars in the sky IT IS VERY CLOSE
COMPARED TO OTHER STARS WHICH ARE MANY LIGHT YEARS AWAY .
24. How many stars are in a typical galaxy? BILLIONS Describe the name MILKY WAY and shape SPIRAL of our galaxy and where the Earth is located within it ORION ARM NEAR THE OUTTER EDGE .