Weather Factors Study Guide
Vocabulary Words
Electromagnetic waves: a form of energy that can travel through space
Radiation: the direct transfer of energy by electromagnetic waves
Infrared radiation: a form of energy with wavelengths that are longer than those of red light
Ultraviolet radiation: a form of energy with wavelengths that are shorter than those of violet
light
Scattering: reflection of light in all directions
Greenhouse effect: the process by which heat is held by gases in the air
Concepts to Know
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The total energy of motion in the particles of a substance is called thermal energy
Temperature is the average amount of energy of motion in the particles of a substance
A thermometer is a thin glass tube with a bulb on one end that contains a liquid, usually
mercury or colored alcohol
The energy transferred from a hotter object to a cooler one is referred to as heat
The direct transfer of heat from one substance to another substance that it is touching
is called conduction
The transfer of heat by the movement of a fluid is called convection
The sky look blue because of scattering
The direct transfer of electromagnetic waves is called radiation
On the Fahrenheit scale, the freezing point of water is 32 degree
The upward movement of warm air and the downward movement of cool air is called a
convection current
Wind direction is often measured with a wind vane
In the Northern Hemisphere, global winds that blow from the southwest to the
northwest are called prevailing westerlies
You compare the readings of wet-bulb and dry-bulb thermometers to measure relative
humidity
Clouds form when humid air is cooled to the dew point
Hailstones form only in the type of clouds called cumulonimbus
A form of precipitation in which rain freezes as it falls through the air is called sleet
Essay
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What is needed for precipitation to occur?
o Cloud droplets or ice crystals must grow heavy enough to fall through the air
Compare and contrast the three types of heat transfer
o Radiation is the direct transfer of energy in electromagnetic waves. Conduction
is the transfer of heat by movement of liquid. Radiation and conduction can
transfer heat through air only over short distances. Conduction is better at
transferring heat through solids than through fluids. Convection is better at
transferring heat through fluids and is primarily responsible for transferring heat
throughout the atmosphere
Explain why large bodies of water cause local winds to shift from day to night
o Large bodies of water heat up more slowly during the day and cool off more
slowly at night then nearby land. As a result, air is warmer over land during the
day and warmer over water during the night. Wind is caused by less dense warm
air rising and more dense cool air moving in to take its place. Thus, wind blows
from water to land during the day and from land to water during the night