Climate study Guide

1. The Mojave Desert is located on the east side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. It averages a rainfall of 137 mm of precipitation a year. 

Drake wants to use the image below to explain why the precipitation differs on the two sides of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The left side of the mountains represents the western foothills, and the right side represents the Mojave Desert. 

What labels should Drake add to the model to show the difference in precipitation between these two regions?

• 1:Moist, warm air; 2: Cooling Condensing air;

  3: Dry, Warming air

• 1. 1.Dry, Cold air

  2. 2. Warming, Evaporating air

  3. 3. Dry, Condensing air

• 1. 1. Moist, cold air

  2. 2. Warming, Crystallizing air

  3. 3. Moist, Condensing air

• 1. 1. Dry, warm air

  2. 2. Warming, evaporating air

  3. 3. Moist, Crystallizing air

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Little Rock, Arkansas, and Los Angeles, California, are both located at a latitude of 34 degrees north. The map shows the locations of each city. The graph shows the temperature trends for Little Rock during the year. 

Based on the climate trends of Little Rock, what prediction can be made about the climate in Los Angeles during the year? 

• Los Angeles will likely have more temperatures variation because the ocean heats more slowly and retains heat longer than the land

• Los Angeles will likely have less temperature variation because the ocean heats more slowly and retains heat longer than the land

• Los Angeles will likely have less temperature variation because the land heats more slowly and retains heat longer than the ocean

• Los Angeles will likely have more temperature variation because the land heats more slowly and retains heat longer than the ocean.

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John is studying a model of Hadley convection cells. He understands that they cover the Northern and Southern hemispheres. Based on evidence in the model, what MOST LIKELY causes Hadley convection cells to form?

• Warm wind comes from Earth and rises, heading toward the poles, where it cools and returns south.

• Warm wind comes from Earth and sinks, heading toward the poles, where it cools and returns south.

• Sunlight hits the equator, resulting in warmer air, which rises and travels toward the poles, where it cools and returns to the equator.

• Sunlight hits the equator, resulting in warmer air, which sinks and travels toward the poles where it cools and returns to the equator.

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How do Density currents form?

• They form when ocean water at the surface becomes warm and loses salt. This causes the ocean water to sink

• They form when ocean water at the surface becomes cold and salty enough that it sinks

• They form when ocean water at the surface becomes cold and loses salt. This causes the ocean water to rise.

• They form when ocean water at the surface becomes warm and loses salt. This causes the ocean water to rise.

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Anna lives on the coast. She notices that the temperature of the air drops about 10 degrees at night, but the ocean doesn’t seem to change temperature at all. Why is this the case? 

• Living things in the ocean help it to maintain a constant temperature.

• Upwelling pushes the water warmed by the sun away from the coast

• To change temperature, the ocean requires a lot of energy, but the air does not

• Warm ocean water floats to the surface at night, maintaining the ocean's temperature.

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Rebecca is a meteorologist, a scientist who studies weather. She compares a map of the global sea surface temperatures to a map of global soil temperatures. What can Rebecca conclude by comparing these maps? 

• Along coastal areas, the oceans are cooled by the land, where gyres move from the liquid ocean to the solid land.

• Both the land and ocean surfaces are warmer in the polar regions where the sun's rays are oblique and most intense.

• Both land and ocean surfaces are warmer in equatorial regions where the sun's rays are most direct and most warming.

• Along coastal areas, the oceans are warmed by the land, where thermal energy is transferred from the solid land to the liquid ocean.

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Using what you know about the relationship between latitude and climate, explain why the Great Basin Desert on average has cooler temperatures than the Sonoran Desert. (keywords to use: Latitude, Temperature, Direct Sunlight) 

• The Great Basin Desert on average has cooler temperatures than the Sonoran Desert because it is lower in latitude which means it receives less direct sunlight

• The Great Basin Desert on average has cooler temperatures than the Sonoran Desert because it is higher in latitude. This means that it sits further from the equator and receives less direct sunlight.

• The Great Basin Desert on average has cooler temperatures than the Sonoran Desert because it is lower in latitude. This means that it sits closer to the equator and receives more direct sunlight.

• The Great Basin Desert on average has cooler temperatures than the Sonoran Desert because it has a higher latitude. This means that it sits further from the equator and receives more direct sunlight.

We have discussed several factors that affect climate. Match the factors with their affect on climate.

Factors:

Mountain/Rain shadow, Elevation, or Closeness to bodies of water 

• windward side= rain

  Leeward side=Dry

• Closeness to bodies of water

• High elevation = cooler temperatures

• Elevation

• Cities near water have milder temps

• Mountain/rain shadow

How does the rotation of the earth affect global air circulation? Examine this simplified diagram of the earth’s major wind belts, and explain how the Coriolis effect influences the direction of the westerlies and the trade winds.

• The Earth rotates from west to east. This causes the direction of global winds to change depending on where they are coming from. If they come from the equator they travel east (westerlies) and if they go toward the equator they travel west (trade winds)

• The Earth rotates from west to east. This causes the direction of global winds to change depending on where they are coming from. If they come from the equator they travel west (westerlies) and if they go toward the equator they travel east (trade winds)

• The Earth rotates from west to east. This causes the direction of global winds to change depending on where they are coming from. If they come from the equator they travel west and if they go toward the equator they travel west (trade winds)

• The Earth rotates from west to east. This has no impact on global winds. If they come from the equator they travel straight and if they go toward the equator they travel straight

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