1. Weather and Climate
Chapters 13 and 14

2. Essential Questions and Key Vocabulary
What is weather?
What variables are used to describe weather?
How is weather related to the water cycle?
Vocabulary: 1. Weather 2. Air pressure 3. Humidity 4. Relative humidity
5. Dew point 6. Precipitation 7. Water cycle

3. Describing Weather Lesson 1 pg 450
What is weather? Weather is the atmospheric conditions, along with short term changes of a certain place at a certain time.
2. What are some weather variables? Temperature, air pressure, wind speed, wind direction, humidity, cloud coverage and precipitation.

4. Describing weather continued:
3. Air temperature- The average kinetic energy of molecules in the air.
4. Air pressure- The force that a column of air applies on the air or the surface below it.

5. Describing weather continued:
5. Wind- As air moves from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure, it creates wind. (Moving air from areas of high pressure to areas of low)
6. What is humidity? The amount of water vapor in the air.

6. Describing weather continued:
7.Relative humidity- The amount of water vapor present in the air compared to the maximum amount of water vapor the air could contain at that temperature.
8.Dew point- The temperature at which air is saturated and condensation can occur.

7. Clouds and Fog page 454
8.What are clouds and how do they form- Water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere.
8a. What is the name given to a cloud that forms near the ground? Fog

8. Three types of clouds:
Stratus- Flat, white, and layered. Altitude: 2,000 meters Cumulus- Fluffy, heaped or piled up. Altitude 2,000- 6,000 meters Cirrus- Wispy. Above 6,000 meters

9. Clouds and Fog continued:
9. Precipitation- Water in liquid or solid form, that falls from the atmosphere
10.Describe the water cycle: The series of natural processes by which water continually moves among oceans, land, and the atmosphere

10. Lesson 2 Weather Patterns page 459
Key concepts and essential questions:
What are two types of pressure systems?
What drives weather patterns?
Why is it useful to understand weather patterns?
Vocabulary: 1. High pressure system 2. Low pressure system 3. Air mass 4. Front 5. Tornado 6. Hurricane 7. Blizzard.

11. Weather patterns continued:
1. Describe high pressure and low pressure systems- High pressure systems are a large body of circulating air with high pressure at its center and lower pressure outside of the system. A low pressure system has low pressure at its center and lower pressure outside of the system. Low pressure brings rain and high pressure brings fair weather.

12. Weather Patterns Continued:
2. Air masses: Large bodies of air that have uniform temperature, humidity, and pressure.
3. Fronts: A boundary between two air masses.

13. Weather Patterns continued:
4. Describe how a thunderstorm develops: There are three stages: Cumulus, mature, and dissipation. Updrafts of air create cumulus clouds. Soon downdrafts appear sending wind to the ground causing high wind, rain, and lightning. Soon the storm is over. 5. Describe how a hurricane develops: A low pressure system develops over the water. Warm, moist air rises causing wind to begin to rotate in a circle. Warm water makes the storm grow stronger and stronger.

14. Climates of Earth Chapter 14
Pg. 486

15. Essential questions and key concepts
What is climate?
Why is one climate different from another?
How are climates classified?
Vocabulary 1. Climate 2. Rain shadow 3. Specific heat 4. Microclimate

16. Climate Lesson 1 Page 487
What is climate? Climate is the long term average weather conditions that occur in a particular region
2. What factors affect climate? Latitude, bodies of water, altitude

17. Climate lesson 1 continued
3. What is a rain shadow? An area of low rainfall on the downwind slope of a mountain.

18. Climate lesson 1 continued: Large bodies of water
4. Describe specific heat: The amount of thermal energy needed to raise the temperature of 1kg. of material by 1 degree.

19. Types of climates:
Polar climate: Cold year round, minimal precipitation.
Continental climate: Warm summer, cold winters, moderate precipitation
Dry climate: Hot summers, low precipitation
Tropical climate: Warm year round, high precipitation
Mild climate: Warm summers/ mild winters, high precipitation, humid

20. Climates continued:
5. What is a microclimate? A localized climate that is different from the climate of the larger area surrounding it. 6. How does climate affect living organisms? Organisms adapt to the environments that they live in. Animals that live in colder climates have thick fur to keep them warm. Organisms like plants that live in deserts, have adapted root systems that collect as much water from the ground as possible.