Weather vs. Climate
Pre-Reading
Directions. Read the following paragraphs and use the word bank to put in the word or words that you feel best fit. You will use each word unless they are listed twice, then you will use them two times.
Climate vs. Weather
The main difference between weather and ______is the length of ______over which both are measured. Weather is the condition of the ______at a particular time. Weather ______vary from day to day and include temperature, ______, precipitation, ______and visibility. Climate, on the other hand, is the ______weather condition in an area over an______period of time. Climate is mostly determined by two factors – temperature and ______. Different parts of the world can have ______climates. Why are climates so different? The answer is complicated. It includes ______in addition to temperature and precipitation, such as______, wind patterns, mountains, large bodies of water and ______currents.
Think of the last time you looked at globe. Do you recall the thin, ______lines that circle the globe? Those lines are called lines of ______. Latitude is the distance ______or south, measured in______, from the equator. In general, the ______of an area depends on its latitude. The higher the latitude is, the ______the climate tends to be. One of the coldest places on Earth, the ______Pole, is 90 °north of the ______. However, the equator, at latitude 0 °, is usually______.
If you were to take a trip to ______latitudes in the United States, you would experience different climates. For example, the climate in WashingtonDC, which is at ______latitude, is different from the climate in Texas.
- Turn to page 74 in your textbook. Take a look at the first two sections and see how you did in the pre-reading activity. Change any wrong answers to the correct one using a RED pen.
- Read the section through page 80 to answer the following questions.
Prevailing Winds
1.Winds that blow mainly from one direction are______.
2.When warm air rises, it ______. This causes it to lose the ability to
hold water, creating ______.
3.______Winds that travel across large bodies of water tend to be ______, while those that travel across land tend to be ______.
4.What may cause a land region to be dry even though it is near the ocean?
______
Mountains
5.The height of landforms, such as mountains, above sea level is called ______.
6.Why is the temperature at the top of a mountain cooler than that at the bottom of the
mountain? ______
______
7.Explain why the land on the windward side of a mountain range is usually green and lush while the other side is usually drier. ______
______
Large Bodies of Water
8.Why do areas near large bodies of water rarely have sudden or extreme temperature changes? ______
______
Ocean Currents
9.Stream like movements of water at or near the surface of the ocean are called ______
10.Why does southern Iceland have milder temperatures than Greenland, its neighbor?
______
______
Climates of the World
____11.The temperature range of each major climate zone relates to its
a.precipitation.
b.latitude.
c.biomes.
d.plants and animals.
12.______A large region characterized by a specific type of climate and certain types of plant and animal communities is called a(n) ______.
13.Why are there several types of climates within each of the three major climate zones?
______
______