Natural Climate Variability

Multiple Choice

What is climate?

• weather

• rain, sleet, snow, or hail

• average weather in a region over a long period of time

• the amount of ice cream available in a city

Multiple Choice

What is the source of energy that heats our planet's atmosphere and oceans?

• the weather

• the wind

• the Sun

• the Earth's core

Multiple Choice

Why does the Earth experience unequal heating?

• The oceans are not equally distributed around the Earth.

• The Earth's revolution brings it closer to the Sun at certain points during the year.

• The Earth's axis is tilted.

• The atmosphere is not equally distributed around the Earth.

Multiple Choice

Ocean currents are the result of uneven heating of the water, which leads to

• conduction

• convection

• reflection

• condensation

Multiple Choice

What is the primary or most important factor that influences climate?

• latitude

• longitude

• elevation

• climate zone

Multiple Choice

Why is the Equator warmest?

• Because it is closest to the sun.

• Because it receives the most direct sunlight

• Because no clouds form here.

• Because it is far from the sun

Multiple Choice

Most of the electromagnetic radiation on Earth comes from

• the sun.

• radio towers.

• X ray machines.

• microwave ovens.

​Unequal Heating Lab In Action

Multiple Choice

In this lab, why is the Earth heated unequally?

• It is Tilted

• It is Straight

• It is a Square

• None of these responses are correct

Multiple Choice

From our lab, when we were modeling the Earth's tilt. What did we use to model the Earth.

• Paper

• Crayon

• Beans

• Pencils

Multiple Choice

Convection currents occur when ______________________ energy transfers between a fluid.

• potential

• kinetic

• thermal/heat

• electric

Multiple Choice

The cycle that powers the ocean currents, weather, and tectonic plates it called

• conduction currents

• radiation

• condition currents

• convection currents

Multiple Choice

The main reason that we have currents in the ocean and air is

• the sun heats the air and ocean evenly everywhere

• the heat inside the earth heats the ocean and the ocean heats the air

• the sun cannot heat both the air and water, so one must heat the other

• the sun heats air and water more at the equator because it receives more direct sunlight

Multiple Choice

Energy for convection on the Earth comes from...

• The sun

• The moon

• Solar winds

• The ocean

​Convection Currents LAB

Multiple Choice

In the lab, what do you need to make convection currents?

• A Lamp for Cold Water

• A Lamp for Warm Water

Multiple Choice

Heat flow (convection current) in the ocean and the atmosphere is...

• cool flows down - warm flows up

• cool flows up - warm flows down

• cool flows up - warm flows up

• cool flows down - warm flows down

Multiple Choice

The Gulf stream carries _____________ water from the east coast of The United States to the West coast of Europe.

• Cold

• Warm 

• Freezing

• Fresh

Multiple Choice

How do warm-water currents affect the coastal areas along which they flow?

• Cool the coast

• Warm the coast

• Cause snow to fall

• Cause higher tides

Multiple Choice

The warm, strong current off the coast of Florida is the 

• Gulf Stream

• California Current

• North Equatorial Current

• Brazil Current

Multiple Choice

Air always moves from

• high pressure to low pressure.

• low pressure to high pressure.

Multiple Choice

The Coriolis Effect is caused by

• Earth rotating around the sun

• Earth rotating on its axis

• The tides

• Gravity

Multiple Choice

The Coriolis effect causes ___________.

• global winds and water to move in a curved path instead of a straight line

• continental deflection

• the Earth to rotate on its axis

• the orbit Earth takes around the sun

Multiple Choice

What makes winds and currents move in curved paths?

• Coriolis effect

• wave height

• longshore drift

• ocean trenches

Multiple Choice

Is the equator a line of latitude or longitude?

• latitude

• longitude

• both

• neither

Multiple Choice

Which location has a higher line of latitude?

• A

• B

Multiple Choice

Which location has a lower line of latitude?

• A

• B

Multiple Choice

What causes convection cells in the Earth's atmosphere?

• Different amounts of direct sunlight at each latitude

• The spinning of Earth

• Being closer to or farther away from the sun

• Different amounts of living things below the atmosphere

Multiple Choice

Canada and Ireland are at the similar latitudes. Why is Canada so much colder that Ireland?

• The Gulf Stream causes Ireland to have a warm and moist climate.

• Ireland is at a much lower elevation.

• Ireland is on a cold current coming down from the polar regions.

Multiple Choice

______________ absorb the most energy from the Sun.

• Land

• Houses

• Oceans

• Atmosphere

Multiple Choice

Compared to places by large bodies of water, inland areas experience ______.

• Less Rain

• More Rain

• No Rain

• Frequent Hurricanes

Altitude & Elevation are the same thing!

The higher you climb a mountain, the cooler it gets and the less dense the air gets!

Multiple Choice

Which sentence best describes the relationship between elevation and air temperatures?

•  LOWER elevation = COLDER temperatures

• HIGHER elevation = COLDER temperatures

• HIGHER elevations = WARMER temperatures

• There is no relationship

Multiple Choice

Air at the top of a mountain is _______ dense.

• More

• Less

Multiple Choice

Which statement is true about air's capacity to hold water?

• As air rises higher up the mountain, its capacity to hold water vapor decreases

• As air rises higher up the mountain, its capacity to hold water vapor increases

Multiple Choice

What landform causes the rain shadow effect?

• mountains

• lakes

• plains

• valley

Multiple Choice

As you go to the top of a mountain, what happens to the air temperature?

• nothing

• it decreases

• it increases

• it fluctuates between warm and cold

Multiple Choice

Warm air can carry more water vapor (moister) than cool air.

• true

• false

Multiple Choice

1. This side of the mountain is dry and desert like because of the rain shadow effect.

• Leeward

• Sideward

• Windward

• Land

Multiple Choice

On the leeward side of a mountain, you might find _____.

• Heavy rainfall

• Desert

• More vegetation

• More snow

Multiple Choice

What landform causes the rain shadow effect?

• Mountains

• Lakes

• Plains

• Valleys

Multiple Choice

This side of the mountain is where the wind originates and evaporation occurs

• windward

• leeward

• rain shadow

• prevailing winds

Multiple Choice

Climates are classified according to two major factors:

• elevation and precipitation

• latitude and temperature

• elevation and latitude

• precipitation and temperature

Multiple Choice

Elevation (Altitude) affects the climate of an area.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

If you were to climb high up Mt. Everest, would it get warmer or colder?

• warmer

• colder

Multiple Choice

Yes or no: Do landforms, such as mountains, affect the climate?

• yes

• no

Multiple Choice

What is moist air blocked by mountains causing other side to be dry?

• rain shadow

• lake effect

• maritime climate

• continental climate

Multiple Choice

True or False: The equator receives the most direct sunlight.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

what is the coriolis effect?

• change in location of warm and cold surface water every 2-7 years

• tendency of objects moving large distances on Earth’s surface to bend to the right in the northern hemisphere & to the left in the southern hemisphere

• winds in northern Indian ocean that blow from the southwest in the summer & from the northeast in winter

• two layers of horizontal winds moving in opposite directions

Multiple Choice

Ocean currents bring warm water from the equator towards Earth's

• Southern Hemisphere

• Continents

• Equator

• Poles

Multiple Choice

What is the difference between weather and climate?

• there is no difference

• weather is day-to-day and climate is a pattern over a long period of time.

• weather is precipitation and climate is temperature

• weather is temperature and precipitation, climate is just precipitation

Multiple Choice

Why does New Mexico have a Dry Climate?

• It is Near Water.

• It is located at the poles.

• It is Not Near Water.

• It is located on the equator.

Multiple Choice

Why does San Diego, CA have a moist, wet and rainy climate?

• It is Near Water.

• It is located at the poles.

• It is Not Near Water.

• It is located on the equator.

Multiple Select

Climate is affected by ___________ (choose ALL that apply).

• latitude

• altitude

• distance from large bodies of water

• ocean currents

• global prevailing winds