Name_____________________
Period_________
Atmosphere, Air Pressure, Heat Transfer, Weather Instruments, and
Local/Global Winds Study Guide
1.
2.
The _atmosphere_ is a whole layer of air that surrounds the Earth. It
supports life and protects it. List the 5 layers of the atmosphere in order.
List the layers of the atmosphere.
___Exosphere
9.
Explain the difference between a high pressure system and a low pressure system.
Make sure to include what type of weather each brings and how that happens.
High Pressure
Areas of high pressure are
formed where air is sinking
back down, and so pushing
down harder.
___Thermosphere
__Mesosphere
__Stratosphere
What type of weather does
it bring?
Dry/Sunny/Clear Skies
Low Pressure
When air rises, it leaves
behind an area of lower
pressure, because the
upward- moving air is not
pressing down so hard on the
surface.
What type of weather
does it bring?
Wet/Cloudy
__Troposphere
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Which layer of the atmosphere do we live in? Troposphere
Which layer contains the ozone layer? Stratosphere
This is the layer of the atmosphere that is very cold because there
is almost no atmosphere to absorb the Sun’s heat energy
Mesosphere
__Nitrogen_ and ___oxygen__ are the two main gases found in
our atmosphere.
Air pressure is the force of molecules pushing on an object.
As altitude increases, air pressure __decreases_. Why?
10-13: Fill in the blank.
Nimbus
Cirrus
10. __Cumulous__ means “heap,” and describes a puffy cloud
11. __Nimbus___ means “rain,” and describes a cloud with lots of
water in it
12. __Cirus__ means “curl of hair,” and describes a wispy cloud
13. ___Stratus__ means “layer,” and describes a sheet-like cloud
14.)When thinking about the
15.)Explain what happened with
balloon in a bottle lab, explain
the marshmallow in a vacuum
what happened to each balloon,
lab. Why did the result occur?
and why it happened. Be sure to
Use the term “air pressure” in
use the term “air pressure” in
your explanation.
your explanation. Draw and label
your illustration to add to your
thinking.
Answers Vary
Answers Vary
Cumulus
Stratus
Answers Vary
16-18 Fill in the blank using the following words: Conduction, Convection, and
Radiation.
16. __Radiation_ is the transfer of heat energy by electromagnetic
waves.
17. ____Convection____ is the transfer of heat in liquids and gases.
18. __Convection______ is the transfer of heat from one substance to
another by direct contact.
19. Write a real-world example of each type of heat transfer:
Conduction
Convection
Radiation
A metal spoon gets hot in a pot of boiling water.
Cool air sinks to the ground on a warm night
Toes are warmed in front of a space heater.
You get a nasty sunburn after swimming too
long.
20. Match each weather instrument with its definition.
___E__ barometer
__A___ thermometer
a.
b.
___F__ anemometer
c.
___D__ compass
d.
___B__ weather satellite
___C__ wind vane
e.
f.
___H__ sling psychrometer
g.
__G___ rain gauge
h.
Measures temperature.
Photographs and tracks
large scale movements
on Earth
Has an arrow that points
in the direction that the
wind is blowing
Finds direction by way
of a needle that always
points north
Measures air pressure
Measures the speed or
force of the wind
Collects and measures
precipitation
Uses the evaporation to
measure relative
humidity
21. What are the 2 major types of winds?
___local___ and ___global_____
22. ___Jet streams___ are very strong winds that effect
flying speeds of jets when flying against some of these
areas in the upper troposphere.
23. How does the wind blow in a land breeze?____from
land to sea____ How does the wind blow in a sea
breeze? ____from sea to land________________
From land to sea or sea to land?
24-30: Air Masses and Fronts: Write the correct letter in
the blank provided.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
A ______A______ front produces heavy rains and
violent thunderstorms.
After a _____B_____ front, the sky becomes clear.
A _______D_________ front is created when a cold
air mass and warm air mass collide and do not mix.
This collision could cause constant snow or rain
for days.
What kind of air mass is found near the equator
and is accompanied by warm air? _______G______
What kind of air mass is found far from the equator and
is accompanied by cool air? _________F________
29. A _____H_______ air mass is found over water and is
accompanied by moist air.
30. A ______C_______l air mass is found over land and is
accompanied by dry air.
A. Cold
B. Warm
C. Continental
D. Stationary
F. Polar
G. Tropical
H. Maritime