Name______
Test Date ______
Parent Signature______
Study Guide Unit 11 Climate
OVERVIEW: This unit addresses the interaction of atmospheric conditions and the effects of these on climate.
#1 Students will understand the effects of the relative positions of the earth, moon and sun.
Relate the tilt of the earth to the distribution of sunlight throughout the year and its effect on climate.
#2 Students will understand how the distribution of land and oceans affects climate.
Demonstrate that land and water absorb and lose heat at different rates and explain the resulting
effects on weather patterns.
#3 Students will describe various sources of energy and with their uses and conservation.
Explain the role of the sun as the major source of energy and its relationship to wind and water energy.
QUESTIONS
#1 How does the sun interact with the earth to produce climate?
#2 How does the tilt of the earth affect the seasons and Earth’s climate?
#3 How does an ocean affect the climate of adjacent land?
#4 How does the sun’s heating of water in the tropics affect climate in the rest of the world?
#5 What happens to water after it evaporates from the oceans and land?
ATMOSPHERE
1. The sun is the ______for all natural events on Earth.
2. The sun is the major source of energy for phenomena on the Earth's surface, including ______,
______, and ______.
3. An ______is the ______that surrounds a planet, such as Earth.
4. Our atmosphere ______from the sun,
______.
5. ______& ______are the two most prevalent gasses in Earth’s atmosphere.
6. The atmosphere is made up of_____% Nitrogen, _____% Oxygen, and _____% other gasses.
7. List the 5 layers of the atmosphere in order.
______
______
______
______
______
8. The Troposphere is the ______and it contains approximately ______
______of the entire atmosphere.
9. All weather occurs in the ______.
10. The Stratospherecontains the ______which protects the planet from the sun’s radiation.
11. The Mesosphere is the ______of the atmosphere.
12. The Thermospherehas the ______of any other layer of the earth’s atmosphere.
This layer ______from the sun.
13. The exosphere is the ______of Earth's atmosphere as it
gradually ______the vacuum of space.
14. Air in the exosphere is ______in many ways it is almost the same as the airless void of outer space.
15. As altitude increases, the density of the air ______.
16. Airplanes fly faster in ______because the air is less dense.
WIND
17. The sun is the ______for events on the surface of the earth including wind, ocean currents, and waves.
18. ______of the Earth’s surface is responsible for making the
______on Earth
19. Convection is heat transfer through ______or ______.
20. Conduction is heat transfer through ______
21. The equator receives the ______of direct sunlight throughout the year.
22. The pole regions receive the ______of sunlight throughout the year.
23. Large ______are formed because of the ______
______between the equator and the poles.
24. Theses convections currents produce ______.
25. The rotation of the earth makes the large ______. This is called the Coriolis Effect.
26. Warm air rises. The farther it gets away from the Earth, the ______. As it
gets colder, it becomes more ______. It then falls back towards Earth. This ______
______of air in a circular pattern in the atmosphere is known as ______.
27. Wind is formed by differences in ______& ______in air.
28. Cold air is ______dense and has ______than warm air.
29. Wind always blows from areas with ______density to areas with ______.
30. Warm air ______. This warm air then makes an area of ______.
31. Waves ______from one place to another. Waves in oceans and lakes are caused by wind blowing over the surface of the water.
32. The Coriolis Effect is caused by the ______.
CLIMATE
33. ______carried by ocean currents has a strong influence on climate around the world.
34. Oceans, holding a large amount of heat, have major effects on ______.
35. Because the oceans are such large bodies of water, they hold a ______
Therefore, the oceans have a great impact on ______.
36. The cycling of water ______and ______of the atmosphere plays an important role in determining
______.
37. Earth’s climate is influenced by ______, ______,
______, ______, and ______.
38. Climate and weather are ______by longitude.
39. Climate Zonesare ______of Earth's climates into ______
climate zones according to average ______and average ______.
40. The three major climate zones on the Earth are the ______,
______, and ______.
41. Temperatures in these three climate zones are determined mainly by the ______
or ______of the zone.
42. Polar climate zone isthe ______climate zone. The temperatures are
almost always ______.
43. Temperate climate zones have ______and moderate
______year-round.
44. ______climate zones contain most of the Earth’s land masses
45. Tropical climate zones havethe ______and get the most rain.
46. Draw a picture of the three major climate zones on Earth.
47. Elevations affect climate and weather. ______are colder.
48. An ______is the term used for cities that have warmer
weather than the area in the same climate zone. Because cities have large amounts of ______,
______, and ______it will be hotter since these objects
______than vegetation.
SEASONS
49. Seasons are caused by the ______on its axis as it rotates around the Sun.
50. The tilt of the earth causes the sun’s rays to strike ______of Earth at
______.
51. Earth turns daily on an ______that is ______relative to the
plane of the Earth's yearly ______.
52. Sunlight falls ______-___on different parts of the earth during
______of the year do the position of the Sun and Earth.
53. The ______striking the Earth changes throughout the year due to the tilt of the Earth on its axis, causing our seasons.
54. The difference in ______produces the planet's seasons.
55. The Earth’s tilt on its axis is the ______.
56. The ______receivesmore radiation and sunlight during the summer than in winter.
57. This ______causes locations farther away from the
equator to experiencemore ______than areas near the equator.
58. The hemisphere ______is experiencing summer. The
hemisphere tilted away from the sun is experience ______,
59. When the Northern Hemisphere is experiencing ______, the Southern Hemisphere is
experiencing ______.
IMPACT ON CLIMATE
60. Scientists believe ______, ______, is responsible for global warming.
61. Events, such as ______and clear ______in the
rainforest, can have global effects on ______and climate throughout the world.
62. Scientists theorize that ______would cause______
ocean levels and global freezing would cause______ocean levels.
63. The ______is one of the major theories that explain how an ice ageon Earth could have occurred.
64. The Milankovitch Theory suggests that the ______as it orbits
around the Sun and causes a varied difference in the ______is from the sun. The
change in distance causes more or less ______during different periods of time.
65. According to the Milankovitch, lower temperatures occur when the earth ______
______. These lower temperatures caused an ______.
66. Scientists theorize that large ______can create dust clouds that block the sun and create cooler temperatures on Earth.
67. The Greenhouse Effect is the ______of a planet where gases in the atmosphere of a planet trap thermal energy (heat).
68. Scientist theorize that ______has increased the Greenhouse
Effect on Earth causing ______.
69. List possible reasons why the Earth has experienced ice ages in the past.
______
______
70. The ozone layer ______from the sun’s harmful radiation.
71. The ______of ozone is ______
and written as ______.
72. There is a ______in the ozone layer over the ______.
73. The release of Chlorofluorocarbons ______into the ______has
causedthe______to form.
74. ______(CFC) have been used in aerosol sprays, refrigeration, air conditioners, foams, cleaning solvents, and electrical components.
75. Because of the damage to the ozone layer, ______are now ______in the United States and Europe.
VOCABULARY
latitude, longitude, atmosphere, air pressure, convection, conduction, Greenhouse Effect, weather, climate, convection currents