Atmosphere Clouds and Fronts Tornadoes and Hurricanes Water Cycle Grab-Bag 100 100 100 100 100 200 200 200 200 200 300 300 300 300 300 400 400 400 400 400 500 500 500 500 500

Name 2 things that happen in the troposphere. Home

Possible answers: Weather, airplanes flying, birds flying, humans are in the troposphere! Home

What is the most abundant gas in the atmosphere What is the most abundant gas in the atmosphere? (bonus 100 points if you can give the % of the atmosphere it makes up) A-200

Nitrogen 79% Home

What helpful feature is in the stratosphere?

The ozone layer. Home

What layer of the atmosphere has the lowest air pressure and why?

The exosphere. It has the lowest air pressure because it has the least amount of air pushing down on it because it is the top layer of the atmosphere. Home

Explain 2 ways that the atmosphere protects us Explain 2 ways that the atmosphere protects us. (bonus 100 points if you can name 3rd way) A-500

Possible answers: 1. The atmosphere protects us from the sun making us too hot during the day by blocking some of the sun’s rays. 2. The atmosphere protects us from getting too cold during the night because it holds heat in. 3. The atmosphere protects us from the sun’s harmful UV rays, which can cause skin cancer. 4. The mesosphere breaks up most meteors that enter the atmosphere. Home

What is the difference between a cirrus cloud and a cumulus cloud?

Cumulus clouds are puffy and have a flat bottom, while cirrus clouds are feathery and pointy. Also, cirrus clouds are found about 8,000m high in the sky, while regular cumulus clouds are found at an altitude of 2,000m. Home

What type of clouds produce thunderstorms, blizzards and tornadoes?

Cumulonimbus clouds Home

Why are there storms happening at the cold front in the Eastern U.S.? B-300

There are storms at the cold front because a warm front passed through the area ahead of the cold front recently. This warm front leaves warm air behind. When the cold front moves in, it meets the warm air and creates clouds and storms. Home

B-400 Explain the different between a cold front and a warm front. Be sure to include the difference between what happens when the two meet.

When a cold front moves in on a warm air mass, the cold air pushes under the warm air because it is more dense. The warm air is pushed up quickly and this forms cumulonimbus clouds. When a warm front moves in on a cold front, the warm from slowly pushes out the cold front and long, blanket-like nimbostratus clouds form. Home

Explain what is happening near the ‘L’ and why. B-500

There are snowstorms and rain at the ‘L’ There are snowstorms and rain at the ‘L’. This is happening because a cold front is meeting with a warm front. Home

What is the definition of a hurricane?

A rotating, tropical storm with strong winds. Home

What 2 types of air combine to create conditions that can produce tornadoes?

Warm, moist air and cold, dry air. Home

Describe what happens to the strength of hurricane when it reaches land and why this happens.

A hurricane loses strength when it reaches land because hurricanes gain their power from the warmth of tropical waters. Home

Explain why so many tornadoes occur in Tornado Alley (Southeastern U.S.).

Tornadoes occur in Tornado Alley because this is where warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico often meets cold, dry air from Canada and the Northern U.S.. When warm, moist air and cold, dry air come together, conditions are right for tornadoes to form. Home

Is this a hurricane or a tornado Is this a hurricane or a tornado? Explain at least 3 features that confirm your choice. C-500

Hurricane. 1) The location of the trail on the map is over water, which indicates a hurricane. 2) The size of the trail indicate a hurricane because there are parts of the trail that are larger than entire states. 3) The distance traveled indicates a hurricane because the trail extends along almost the entire East coast of the U.S. 4) The time stamps on the trail indicate a hurricane because the time extends for more than 2 days, while tornadoes only last a few minutes. Home

Name the 4 steps of the water cycle. D-100

Evaporation Condensation Precipitation Runoff Home

Label each number (1-4) with the correct step of the water cycle. D-200

1. Evaporation 2. Condensation 3. Precipitation 4. Runoff Home

What 2 steps of the water cycle does H2O undergo a phase change What 2 steps of the water cycle does H2O undergo a phase change? Describe each change. D-300

Evaporation: liquid to gas Condensation: gas to liquid Home

Describe what happens during the “runoff” step of the water cycle.

Possible answer: During “runoff,” water falling from clouds lands on different parts of Earth’s surface. This water then flows back to nearby lakes, rivers and streams. Home

Describe what happens during condensation.

During condensation, water vapor (gas) cools down to form very small water droplets that collect to form clouds. Home

Name 3 difference sources people can obtain weather reports from.

Possible answers: TV, newspaper, internet, radio, five senses. Home

About how long do most tornadoes last?

Anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes. Home

FREE 300 POINTS, ONLY FOR THE TEAM THAT PICKED THIS CATEGORY!

FREE 300 POINTS, ONLY FOR THE TEAM THAT PICKED THIS CATEGORY! Home

E-400 Explain why the “Feels Like” temperature is different from the actual temperature on a thermometer.

The “Feels Like” temperature can be different than the temperature on a thermometer because of wind chill. Most thermometers cannot detect wind, but a person standing outside can feel colder because of the wind. Home

Mr. and Mrs. Green just purchased a house (X on map) on the Northern coast of Russia. Should they purchase hurricane insurance for their house? Explain why or why not. E-500 X

Mr. and Mrs. Green should not purchase hurricane insurance because, even though their house is near water, hurricanes only occur in tropical areas near the equator. The North coast of Russia is far from these tropical areas. Home

Final Jeopardy Question Explain, in at least 2 complete sentences, what causes changes in the weather.

Changes in weather are caused by the uneven heating of the Earth by the sun. The tropical areas are heated more than the rest of the planet, and that heat wants to spread out. Warm air masses move around the planet and collide with cold air masses, which creates clouds and other weather events. Home

DO NOW Take out a sheet of paper and a pen. Get ready to play jeopardy!

SCOREBOARD Team 1 Team 2 Team 3 Team 4