Weather & Climate Study Guide Answer Key
1. Weather is the current conditions of the atmosphere while climate is the average
weather of an area.
2. The sun
3. Gases in the atmosphere (greenhouse gases) trap heat in the atmosphere,
warming the planet.
4. Too many greenhouse gases in the atmosphere causes global warming.
5. Direct sunlight is warmer.
6. Earth’s tilt forces some areas to be alternatively tilted towards the sun and away
from the sun. This causes the seasons.
7. Tropical latitudes receive direct sunlight all year round.
8. Polar latitudes receive indirect sunlight all year round.
9. Temperate latitudes receive indirect sunlight for part of the year and direct
sunlight for part of the year.
10. Cold, dense air masses sink below warm, less dense air masses.
11. Wind is the movement of air felt as air masses move past each other.
12. Prevailing winds are winds that constantly travel from one direction.
13. Warm air is less dense and can hold more water than cold air, which is denser.
14. Heat capacity is the measurement of how much energy is required to increase
the temperature of a substance.
15. A substance with a low heat capacity does not require a lot of energy before its
temperature increases. A substance with a low heat capacity will heat up faster
than a substance with a high heat capacity.
16. Water has a high heat capacity which means it can store a lot of energy. During
the winter, the ocean releases this energy, warming the surrounding air. This
makes the coast warmer than inland areas.
17. Through oceanic circulation, the ocean transfers heat and moisture around Earth.
18. The ocean is the biggest source of water for the water cycle that generates
precipitation around the Earth.
19.
a. The top of the mountain would be colder than the base of the mountain
because higher altitudes are colder than lower altitudes.
b. The windward side of a mountain range (where wind first travels over
mountain) would be wet while the leeward side would be dry. As air rises
over the mountain range, water molecules condense and fall as
precipitation. On the other side of the mountain, the air is very dry, having
already lost all of its moisture.
c. The coast would be warmer in winter and cooler in summer relative to
inland areas. Water at the coast has a high heat capacity. It stores heat
during the summer and releases it in the winter.
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6th Grade PSI
Weather & Climate and Natural Disasters
20. Glaciers reflect sunlight back into space. This makes the climate around glaciers
very cold.
21. The valley warms up faster than a hilltop. As valley air warms, it rises because it
becomes less dense. As the air moves up the side of the hill, it creates a breeze.
22. At night, the land cools down faster than the ocean. The warm, less dense air
over the ocean rises and is replaced by the air over the land. This creates a
breeze from land to ocean.
23. Answers may vary. By burning fossil fuels and the practice of deforestation,
humans affect climate by increasing global warming.
24. Weather is always changing. That is why meteorologists use probability
forecasting.
25. High pressure systems are composed of cool, dry air. They generally bring fair
weather and light winds.
26. Low pressure systems are composed of warm, moist air. They generally bring
storms and strong winds.
27. A front is the boundary between two different air masses.
28. A cold front occurs when cold air moves past warm air. Cold fronts bring storms
followed by cooler, drier weather.
29. A warm front occurs when warm air moves past cold air. Warm fronts bring
precipitation followed by warmer, wet weather.
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6th Grade PSI
Weather & Climate and Natural Disasters