Factors that Influence Weather Classwork
Name ______________________________
6th Grade PSI Science
Match each description with the correct type of weather factor from the word bank.
Word Bank
Atmosphere
Oceans
Ice
Landforms
Sunlight
Living Things
Wind
1. _________________________ As air moves up a mountain, it cools and condenses.
2. _________________________ The burning of fossil fuels has increased the amount of
greenhouse gases, leading to global warming.
3. _________________________ Glaciers reflect radiation, helping to maintain Earth’s
temperature.
4. _________________________ Without radiation, Earth would be too cold to inhabit.
5. _________________________ Coastal communities experience cooler summers than
inland communities.
6. _________________________ CO2, CH4 and O3 in the troposphere help to retain heat
and warm the planet.
7. _________________________The polar easterlies are cool, dry air masses that always
travel from the east over the poles.
Determine whether each description is an example of climate or weather.
8. _________________________ Today’s high is 85 with a 20% chance of showers.
9. _________________________ Charleston has an average temperature of 66⁰F.
10. _________________________ The humidity right now is 70% but it is expected to fall
later in the day.
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6th Grade PSI
Weather & Climate and Natural Hazards
Factors that Influence Weather Homework
Name ______________________________
6th Grade PSI Science
1. How does radiation affect weather?
2. How do the oceans moderate Earth’s climate?
3. In what layer of the atmosphere does weather occur?
4. CO2 and H2O are greenhouse gases in the troposphere. How do these gases affect
Earth’s climate?
5. Is cool air more dense or less dense than warm air? Which type of air rises?
6. What is one example of a landform affecting weather?
7. What is one example of a living thing affecting climate?
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6th Grade PSI
Weather & Climate and Natural Hazards
Effect of Location on Weather Classwork
Name ______________________________
6th Grade PSI Science
Label each description with the type of latitude in which it is located.
1. _________________________ The climate of Rio de Janeiro is sunny and wet year
round. The average temperature fluctuates from 25⁰C to
30⁰C.
2. _________________________ The Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica is cold and dry. It has an
average high temperature of 10⁰C.
3. _________________________ Paris, France has a mild and moderate climate. The
average summer temperature is 25⁰C and the average
winter temperature is 2.5⁰C.
4. For every 1,000 feet increase in altitude, temperature drops by about 4⁰F. If the
temperature at the base of a mountain is 75⁰F, what is the temperature 10,000 feet
higher at the top of the same mountain?
5. Describe two examples of how local geography can affect weather.
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6th Grade PSI
Weather and Climate
Effect of Location on Weather Homework
Name ______________________________
6th Grade PSI Science
1. Why do different areas of the planet receive different amounts of sunlight?
2. What is a latitude?
3. What is different about the temperate latitude, compared to the polar and tropical
latitudes?
4. What is altitude?
5. How does altitude affect temperature?
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6th Grade PSI
Weather and Climate
Weather Prediction Classwork
Name ______________________________
6th Grade PSI Science
Determine whether each description is characteristic of high pressure or low pressure.
1. _________________________ Cool, dry air.
2. _________________________ Storms and strong winds.
3. _________________________ Fair weather and light winds.
4. _________________________ Warm, moist air.
Determine whether each description is characteristic of a cold, warm or stationary front.
5. _________________________ Warm air replaces cold air.
6. _________________________ Brings low pressure.
7. _________________________ Precipitation due to two air masses not moving.
8. _________________________ Brings lower temperatures.
9. Based on the weather map, what weather should the following locations expect?
Maine
Tennessee
Maine:
Tennessee:
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6th Grade PSI
Weather and Climate
Weather Prediction Homework
Name ______________________________
6th Grade PSI Science
1. High pressure has what type of air?
2. High pressure brings what type of weather?
3. Low pressure has what type of air?
4. Low pressure brings what type of weather?
5. What is a front?
6. What type of weather does a cold front bring?
7. What type of weather does a warm front bring?
8. What type of weather does a stationary front bring?
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6th Grade PSI
Weather and Climate
Natural Disasters Classwork
Name ______________________________
6th Grade PSI Science
1. You meet a traveler in the airport who lives on a distant island that is part of the ring of
fire. What two natural disasters is she probably familiar with?
2. What are two tools used to predict volcanoes?
3. What types of tools are used to predict severe weather, such as hurricanes and
blizzards?
4. What are two natural disasters that are currently unpredictable?
5. Scientists use probability forecasting to predict some natural disasters. What does this
mean?
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6th Grade PSI
Weather and Climate
Natural Disasters Homework
Name ______________________________
6th Grade PSI Science
1. Fill in the blanks: Natural disasters are _____________________ events that occur as a
result of ____________________________________.
2. List two predictable natural disasters.
3. List two unpredictable natural disasters.
4. Volcanoes and earthquakes both occur at what type of location?
5. What is seismicity?
6. What is a tornado?
7. What is unpredictable for all natural disasters?
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6th Grade PSI
Weather and Climate
Factors that Influence Weather Classwork Answer Key
6th Grade PSI Science
1. Landforms
2. Living Things
3. Ice
4. Sunlight
5. Oceans
6. Atmosphere
7. Wind
8. Weather
9. Climate
10. Weather
Factors that Influence Weather Homework Answer Key
1. Radiation transfer electromagnetic energy to Earth’s surface, heating it.
2. Oceans absorb heat in the summer and release it slowly in the winter. They also transfer
energy around the world via currents.
3. Weather occurs in the troposphere.
4. Greenhouse gases retain heat and warm the planet.
5. Cool air is denser than warm air. Warm air rises and cool air falls.
6. Answers will vary. Example: mountains have a wet side and a dry side.
7. Answers will vary. Example: The burning of fossil fuels has increased the amount of
greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, leading to global warming.
Effect of Location on Weather Classwork Answer Key
1.
2.
3.
4.
Tropical
Polar
Temperate
35⁰F
Calculations:
10,000/1,000 = 10
10 x 4 = 40 degree difference
75 – 40 = 35⁰F
5. Answers will vary. Example: Cities hold in heat. Coastal areas are warmer in the winter.
Effect of Location on Weather Homework Answer Key
1. Earth’s tilt causes different areas to receive different amounts of sunlight.
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6th Grade PSI
Weather and Climate
2. A latitude is a horizontal line separating regions of the planet.
3. The temperate latitude has temperatures that vary based on season while the polar and
tropical latitudes have the same temperature throughout the year.
4. Altitude is the distance from a point on Earth’s surface to its point in the atmosphere.
5. As altitude increases, temperature decreases.
Weather Prediction Classwork Answer Key
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
High
Low
High
Low
Warm
Warm
Stationary
Cold
9. Maine: Cold front is coming bringing high pressure with it. They should expect some rain
followed by calm weather.
Tennessee: They will have several days of high pressure. Fair weather and light winds.
Weather Prediction Homework Answer Key
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
High pressure has cool, dry air.
High pressure brings fair weather and light winds.
Low pressure has warm, moist air.
Low pressure brings storms and strong winds.
A front is a boundary between two air masses.
A cold front brings strong storms followed by high pressure.
A warm front brings some precipitation followed by low pressure.
A stationary front has storms and prolonged precipitation.
Natural Disasters Classwork Answer Key
1. Volcanoes and earthquakes
2. Seismicity and gas concentrations
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6th Grade PSI
Weather and Climate
3. The same tools as normal weather conditions.
4. Tornadoes and earthquakes
5. They are never 100% sure of what will occur due to dynamic weather factors.
Natural Disasters Homework Answer Key
1. Catastrophic; natural processes.
2. Volcanoes
Severe weather
3. Earthquakes
Tornadoes
4. Volcanoes and earthquakes occur where tectonic plates meet.
5. Seismicity is the frequency of underlying earthquakes.
6. A tornado is a funnel of air that travels from a thunder cloud down to the ground.
7. Magnitude and timing is unpredictable for all natural disasters.
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6th Grade PSI
Weather and Climate