Meteorology Test Review
8th Grade Science
Layers of the Atmosphere:
List the main layers, temperature change, and something you can find in each layer.
Main Layer
Troposphere
Stratosphere
Mesosphere
Thermosphere
Temp. Change
decrease
increase
decrease
increase
Object
Weather/clouds
Ozone layer
Burns up meteors
Satellites/space station
Which layer do we breathe in? ___Troposphere________________________________________
Which layer is where weather occurs? ___Troposphere_________________________________________
In which main layer is the ozone layer? ____Stratosphere_________________________________________
Global wind belts
Use the diagram below to answer the following questions:
What winds most affect us in Texas? _____Westerlies_____________________________________
In the Northern Hemisphere, the winds curve in which direction? ___Clockwise – to the right______
Which wind belt receives the most radiant energy from the sun? Which one receives the least?
___Trade winds; Polar easterlies_____________________________________________________
Air MASSES and Winds
What causes wind to occur? ___The uneven heating of the Earth causes movement of airthrough convection.
___________________________________________________
The rotation of the Earth on its axis that causes the curved paths of the wind is called the
___Coriolis____________ ____Effect________.
Winds that originate from continental air masses bring _dry_____ air, while those that originate from
maritime (ocean, which means water….) air masses bring __wet______ air. If it originates from a polar air
mass then its temperature would be __cool______, while those originating from tropical air masses would be
__warm_____.
When two air masses of different temperatures meet and form a border it is called a __front__________.
Fronts and Weather:
Major weather patterns and climate are controlled by the prevailing winds that blow across the land. In which
direction do fronts and most weather systems travel across the United States? (circle one)
East to West
Draw the map symbol for:
Cold Front
West to East
Warm Front
North to South
South to North
Stationary Front
Why does colder air push warmer air upward into the atmosphere ___ Cold air is more dense.
Why does this action cause precipitation to form? ___ Cold air causes the water vapor in the air to condense
and turn back into liquid._________________________________
Which front causes more severe weather changes? ___Cold Fronts________________________
Why? _ Because of the large temperature difference when the air masses meet. Cold air is “stronger” than
warm air._________________________________
Which front causes more mild weather changes? ______ Warm Fronts_____________________
Why? __ There is not as large of a temperature difference and the warm air is not as dense and “strong” as the
cold air._________________________________________
What weather measurement tool can detect small particles and precipitation? ____ Doppler Radar________
What else can this weather measurement tool do? ___ It can also be used to approximate wind speed._____
Explain why there is dew on the grass in the mornings. __ When the air has reached the point where it holds
as much water vapor as possible, and then the temperature decreases. Then the air cannot hold as much
moisture, so condensation occurs and dew is formed.
HEAT TRANSFER
Match the word with the definition:
Conduction
heat travels through movement of warm & cool gas or liquid
Convection
heat travels through electromagnetic waves
Radiation
transfer of heat of objects through direct contact
The source of energy that causes weather and climate is ___the Sun________.
If you ran an upstairs heater in your house, would the downstairs floor get warm? Why or why not? _No.
Because warm air is less dense, and therefore rises. So the downstairs would not get warm, because the warm air
will rise and stay upstairs.____________
______________________________________________________________________________
Why does an area of low pressure form over
land with a sea breeze? _Land heats more
rapidly than the water, which causes the
air to heat and rise, thus creating an area of
low pressure._______________
Explain why the breeze “flips” at night and
goes the other direction. _At night, the ocean
cools more slowly than the land, so it heats
the air above it, which causes the air to rise
and creates a low pressure area.
area._____________