Science Chapter 8 "Weather Patterns" pp.

225-249
Lesson 1: "How does air move?" pp. 230-233
Layers of Air

Teachers Copy Key

About 8/10 of our air is nitrogen and about 2/10 is oxygen . The rest is made up of Carbon dioxide CO2 Water vapor & other gasses The 5 layers of Earth's atmosphere: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Troposphere 8-15 km Stratosphere -55

50 km 0

Mesosphere 85km - 90 Theermosphere Exosphere 600km 1700

Most weather conditions occur in the troposphere Air pressure decreases gas particles as you go up through the atmosphere because the in the air get farther above you. apart and there

is less air Convection Currents Land

heats up more quickly than water cools down faster than currents - gases water .

in sunlight.

At night, land convection

or liquids

rise and sink in a

circular

path.

cool air Six huge convection currents form in the air above Earth.

warm air

Winds generally blow from west to east over much of the United States. jet stream - a band of very fast wind formed by the different between the huge convection currents that form above the

temperatures Earth.

jet streams can change temperature, wind, & precipitation by affecting the movement of the air.

Lesson 2: "What are air masses" pp. 234-237

Kinds of Air Masses If air stays over an area for some time, it takes on properties of that area and becomes an air air mass . properties all through it.

mass - a large body of air with similar

The most important properties are temperature and amount of water vapor . Four kinds of air masses: 1. Continental polar air mass- forms over land

near polar; cold & dry 2. Maritime Tropical air mass- forms over water

near the equator; warm & wet 3. Maritime Polar air mass- forms over water

near the poles is cold, water vapor evaporates into the air. cold and moist 4. Continental Tropical air mass- forms over hot desert warm and fairly dry.

Air masses move because of wind. When Air Masses Meet front- a boundary between two air masses . that moves into an area. A cold front

A front gets its name from the kind of air

brings colder

air and a warm front brings warmer

air. and forth

stationary front- a front that does not move much or moves back over an area.

Lesson 3: "What causes severe weather?" pp. 238-241

Thunderstorms Thunderstorms can form in different ways. Stages of thunderstorms: 1. Strong, quickly rising currents clouds 2. Precipitation and 3. downwards grow starts to fall. The storm now has both upwards moving currents. and the clouds get smaller of moist air .

All currents are moving downward as precipitation falls. spark

Lightning- a large electrical opposite Tornadoes charges.

moving between areas of

A funnel cloud is a spinning column when it touches the ground. Hurricanes

of air . It becomes a tornado

Hurricanes get their energy from warm Once over

ocean water

. .

land , the hurricane's energy is reduced

Hurricanes are more destructive than tornadoes because: 1. They last for days hitting several locations . 5

2. 3.

They can be hundreds They result in huge waves and

of kilometers wide. that can cause severe damage can also cause floods.

flood the shore. Heavy rains

Preparing for Hurricanes 1. 2. 3. 4. 5, Board up your windows Store food and water Have flashlights and battery-powered radios available Put valuables in plastic containers high off the ground Stay inside

Lesson 4: "How are weather forecasts made?" pp. 242-245

Collecting Data Parts of a weather system: 1. 2. 3. 4. 6. 7. Tools: 5. wind speed barometer- shows air temperature moisture clouds precipitation air pressure wind direction

pressure speed

. . in the air. has fallen . inside a storm.

anemometer- measures wind

hygrometer- measures the moisture rain gauge- measures how much rain radar- measures the wind Weather Forecasts

and precipitation

In the U.S., fronts generally move from west to east .

Lesson 5: "What is climate?" pp. 246-249

Weather and Climate Weather is made up of all the conditions Climate- is the average in one place at a single time.

weather conditions over a long time, usually 30 years. , the average temperature during the year. Climates do not does.

Climate includes average amount of precipitation and how much the temperature changes change as much as the daily Landforms Affect Climate Mountain them. Oceans Affect Climate Oceans can affect a climate air temperature. Ocean currents can make climate The Gulf Stream and the ranges weather

may have different climates

than areas around

by slowing the rise and fall of the

warmer North

or

cooler . Drift .

Atlantic northward

are large Past Climates Climates

currents

that carry warm water

have changed many times throughout history

How Climates Change 1. 2. 3. Less energy from the sun . and asteroid , and water vapor or meteorite .

Volcanic eruptions impacts. Carbon dioxide , methane