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Climate Change
Earth
Physics
air masses
clouds
the Sun
Correct!
Air masses are large bodies of air with a common temperature and humidity. As they move, weather changes. If a cold air mass moves in and replaces a warm air mass, it can bring cooler, stormy weather.
Definition: the condition of the atmosphere at any given place and time
Factors: temperature, precipitation, wind speed and direction, air pressure, and humidity
Extreme Weather: tornadoes, hurricanes, droughts, thunderstorms, heat waves, snowstorms
Cool Fact: Clouds can help us predict weather. Thin, wispy clouds can signal fair weather, while big, dark clouds bring thunderstorms.
The movement of _____ cause weather changes from one day to the next:
Humidity is a measure of the amount of _____ in the air.
water vapor
heat energy
sunlight
Correct!
The air holds invisible water called water vapor. Humidity is related to temperature. The warmer the air, the more water vapor it can hold.
Some things that we measure about the weather are temperature, humidity, and:
average annual rainfall
tide levels
wind speed
Correct!
Precipitation, cloudiness, and air pressure are other weather conditions. Weather describes these conditions for a short period of time, like today, tomorrow, or this week. The average weather condition over several years is called climate.
A region's weather from season to season is impossible to predict.
Fact
OR
Fiction
?
Fiction
Weather can change day to day, but every region has typical weather patterns. Some places are almost always cold, windy, or dry. These patterns describe the climate.
A sudden change in weather is a sign that the climate is changing.
Fact
OR
Fiction
?
Fiction
A single weather event does not say much about climate. To identify climate change, we must look at the weather from the same place over long periods of time (years or decades).
Energy from the Sun causes wind.
Fact
OR
Fiction
?
Fact
The Sun warms the air in some places more than others. When warm air rises, cool air moves in to replace it. This moving air is wind! Energy from the Sun drives all our weather.