Name:
Weather in the Classroom Series – Answer Sheet
Earth’s Atmosphere:
1. Name four “tools” scientists use to explore the atmosphere (many were listed throughout the film).
Ships, satellites, weather balloons, barometers, thermometers, lasers, rockets, etc
2. Where does the term “atmosphere” originate?
Greek word meaning “ball of air”
3. What keeps our atmosphere from floating away into outer space?
Earth’s Gravity
4. Not from movie: The NCAR center in Boulder, Colorado is approximately a mile above sea level. Is it
likely that there is more or less air pressure at NCAR than at Naples, Florida (sea level)?
Less air pressure (air pressure decreases as altitude increases)
5. Where are storms stronger – over land or over oceans? BONUS: Explain why you think this may
be true.
Stronger over land. Higher specific heat will result in rising air.
6. The motion in the atmosphere is created by the energy from the ______________.
Sun
7. How long has the atmosphere been oxygen-rich?
2 Billion Years
8. Where is the coldest air in the entire atmosphere?
Mesosphere
9. What types of weather do low pressure systems bring?
Cloudy, likely precipitation.
10. What types of weather do high pressure systems bring?
Clear skies, unlikely precipitation
11. As altitude ____________________, air pressure _____________________.
Increases, decreases.
12. Why was the air pressure higher than expected when the host was 30,000 feet above sea level?
The cabin was pressurized.
13. _____________________ winds blow in the same direction most of the time.
Prevailing
14. What is are two land features that could create a “local wind”?
Oceans, mountains, dunes, cities, bodies of water, etc.
15. Choose one: We name winds where they blow (toward or from).
FROM!!!
Weather and Water:
1. How much of the Earth is covered by water? __________ %. For the most part, this water is in the
form of the five ________________.
Over 70% - oceans.
2. As the early Earth ___________________ down, the water vapor condensed, forming the oceans.
Cooled
3. A water molecule is one ________________________ atom combined with two ___________________ atoms.
That is the reason that water’s chemical formula is ___________.
Oxygen, hydrogen – H2O
4. What three states can water exist as naturally on Earth?
Liquid, solid and gas.
5. Water is its gas form is called water ______________________.
Vapor
Water Cycle:
6. When water vapor rises into the atmosphere, it is called _____________________________.
Evaporation
7. When the water vapor cools and forms water droplets, it is called _________________________.
Condensation
8. When the water droplets fall from the sky, it is known as ____________________________.
Precipitation
9. ____________ of the Earth’s water is saltwater in the oceans.
97%
10. Fog is actually just a _____________________ very close to the Earth’s surface.
Cloud
11. The _________ _____________ is the temperature at which water vapor will turn to a liquid.
Dew point
Severe Winter Weather:
1. What months are considered winter in the northern hemisphere?
December, January, February
2. Not in video: what months are associated with winter in the southern hemisphere then?
June, July, August
3. What was the coldest temperature ever recorded on Earth? Where was this temperature recorded?
-159 degrees F – Antarctica
4. What temperature does water freeze in the following scales:
Fahrenheit: 32
Celsius: 0
Kelvin: 273
5. Which substance’s freezing point is higher – freshwater or saltwater?
Freshwater – 32 F
6. Why does the video not consider hail as winter weather precipitation, even though it is frozen rain?
Occurs most often in the Spring or Sumer
7. Frozen precipitation that falls from the cloud and remains frozen is called ___________________.
Snow
8. Liquid precipitation that melts and refreezes on its way to the ground is ______________________.
Sleet
9. Liquid precipitation that falls to Earth as a liquid but freezes upon contact is:
Freezing Rain
10. Blizzards require winds that blow at _________ mph and can cause zero visibility conditions known
as ____________________.
35 mph – whiteout.
11. Nor’easters are caused by _________-pressure systems, which blow _______________________________ in the
Northern Hemisphere.
Low – counter-clockwise
12. The worst winter weather occurs when warm and cold air, which are separated by the ________
______________________ , meet.
Jet Stream
13. Since we know the seasons are not caused by how close we are to the Sun, what is the cause of the
seasons on Earth?
The tilt of the Earth
Weather and Geography (first 13 minutes only)
1. Latitude is the greatest factor in temperature. Cold temperatures are usually associated with
the __________________. Warm temperatures are usually found near the ________________.
Poles - equator
2. ________________________ is the average, or usual, weather of a place, and it determines which type of
___________________ and ___________________ can live there.
Climate – plants & animals.
3. Climate type names - Cold: __________________ Warm: __________________ Extremely Dry: _______________
Polar – Tropical - Arid
4. Land heats up ___________________ and cools down __________________.
Quickly – quickly.
5. The warm ocean current that runs North off the east coast of the U.S. is called the ____________
Gulf Stream.
6. Mountains can affect precipitation. The west (or windward) side of the Sierra Nevada mountains
experiences very _____________ weather, whereas the east (or leeward side) experiences very ______________
climate. This is known as the rain ________________________ effect.
Wet, arid – Shadow effect
7. An explosive volcanic eruption could make much of the United States much colder, by putting a
large amount of ______________ into the atmosphere.
Ash
8. Erosion and weathering by water created the ________________ ______________________ in the western U.S.
Grand Canyon
9. ___________________ is sometimes responsible for eroding sand, and piling it up into huge dunes.
Wind
10. The third type of weathering that affected Yosemite park was huge, moving _____________________.
Glaciers