Atmosphere Unit Review
1.
Describe the difference between weather and climate
Weather: day to day atmospheric conditions
Climate: long term atmospheric conditions
2.
Identify which of the following refer to climate and which refer to weather by writing “climate” or
“weather” in the space to the left of the following statements:
__W___ In central Ontario, snowfall on December 25 occurs less than 50% of the time.
__W___ December 25, 1999, was warm and cloudy.
__W___ Hurricane Hortense struck the Nova Scotia mainland on September 15,1996.
___C___ Most hurricanes in Atlantic Canada occur in September or October.
3.
Using the pictures, label the different types of clouds (cumulous, cumulonimbus, status, cirrus) and include
a brief description of the weather associated with each one.
Cirrus: high wispy clouds (made of ice
crystal)
Stratus: mid-level clouds
Cumulonimbus: storm clouds, dark
gray.
Cumulus clouds: puffy clouds, lowest
of the cloud types
4.
Identify the correct order for the layers of the atmosphere
__4____ ionosphere
__2___ stratosphere
__3__ mesosphere
__1____ troposphere
__5____ magnetosphere
5.
Identify an important characteristic for each of the following layers of the atmosphere:
Ionosphere: lacks air pressure, converts solar energy into thermal
Stratosphere: temperature increases with elevation, contains jet stream, contains ozone
Mesosphere: contains meteors
Troposphere: layer with weather, temperature decreases with elevation
Magnetosphere: contains northern lights
6.
7.
For each of the following cities, identify one climate factor that influences the climate in that region and
explain:
a. Halifax, NS: Proximity to Water – Halifax is next to the Atlantic Ocean. This will create a maritime
climate (wet). As well, the Gulf Stream flows north along the coastline warming the air above.
b.
Windsor, ON: latitude: Windsor is the southern most city in Canada. Therefore it is closer to the
equator and will be receiving more sunlight. This will increase the temperature in this region
since the solar energy is concentrated in a smaller area.
c.
Yellowknife, NWT: latitude: Yellowknife is in the northern part of Canada. As the sunlight spreads
over the top of the globe, the solar energy is spread over a larger region. This prevents the
particles from
Many New Yorkers flock to Central Park on days with excessive heat. Explain why they might do this.
- lakes in the park provide a source of evaporation and
moderate the land next to the lake. The lakes take a long
time to heat up. Until they heat up, the lakes will blow cool
air onto the land.
- Transpiration in the trees: the evaporation process will
help to cool the area.
- Trees and grass are a poor heat sink and do not absorb
heat very well. This keeps the area cool.
- Trees provide shade and block the sunlight.
8.
For each statement below, write in the name of the atmospheric layer each describes:
Where most of our weather occurs ___troposphere__________
Contains most of the ozone layer ___stratosphere__________
Contains ions, and is where the northern lights occur __magnetosphere____________
The coldest temperatures in the atmosphere
_____mesosphere________________
Can be called "space" because there are very few particles ____magnetopause_______
9.
Not all places receive the same amount of precipitation.
a. In general, which cities receive more?
Cities near coastlines
b. Why is this the case? Explain.
Water evaporates and the water vapour is added to the atmosphere. The air mass is blown onto the land. As
the air warms up with solar radiation, the air mass rises. As the air mass rises, it condenses and forms water
droplets. When the droplets are large enough, gravity pulls the water droplets down (precipitation).
10. Using your knowledge on types of precipitation, explain why it rains so often in Ontario during the spring.
Warm air masses from the south move northward during the spring. Cold air masses from the north are pushed
southwards during the winter and early spring. The collision of these two air masses causes the precipitation. As
the two air masses collide, the warm air mass is pushed up and over the cold air mass. As the warm air mass rises,
the air cools and condenses. This causes water droplets. When the droplets are large enough, gravity pulls the
water droplets down (precipitation). The larger the temperature differences between the two air masses, the
bigger the storm.
11. Describe the impact the warm Pacific Current and the Rocky Mountains have on the climate in British
Columbia.
The warm Pacific current warms the air above the ocean water. The mid-latitude blows this warm air onto the
land causing the region to be warmer. As the air mass reaches the Rocky Mountains, the air mass is pushed up
the mountains. As the air travels up the mountains, the air condenses and cools. This will form water
droplets. With gravity, these water droplets are pulled down as precipitation.
12. Complete the following chart:
Tropical Storm
Tornado
- over oceans
-
- over land
- commonly over the United States
- warm air rises creating a low pressure system
- the winds start to rotate
- as warm air rises, the storm intensifies
- water droplets are formed as the air rises. This
creates rain.
- The rotating warm air rises, causing updrafts.
These updrafts, increases the speed of rotations
Location
Formation
-Cool air from the jet stream adds energy from the
top of the storm
-Water condenses into droplets and form a funnel
cloud. This cloud grows. When it touches the
ground, it is known as a tornado
Scale
Monitoring/
Prediction
Saffir-Simpson scale
Fujita
- satellite images
- airplanes
- satellite
- balloon sensors
- Doppler radar
13. Place a T for true or F for false beside each of the statements. If it is false, correct the statement.
a. Wind direction is reported as the direction from which the wind is blowing.
True
b.
Clouds associated with stormy weather are classified as nimbus clouds.
True
c.
Jet streams are fast moving ocean currents.
False
d.
The Earth's atmosphere is mostly made up of oxygen gas.
False
e.
Any object or material that absorbs energy and becomes warmer is called a heat sink. True
f.
Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas.
True
g.
Low-pressure systems are associated with clear, dry weather.
True
h.
Air tends to fall at the equator.
False
i.
As you move further from the equator, the radiation that strikes the Earth’s surface is more
spread out.
True