FTCE - K-6 Science (Weather and Climate)

Surface Water

Water that is held on the surface of the Earth (rivers, streams, creeks, lakes, ponds, reservoirs, and even glaciers)

Groundwater

water held underground in the spaces between rock and soil particles, important freshwater source for humans

water table

Level above groundwater

aquifers

Can extract groundwater using water wells

atmosphere

the gases surrounding the surface of the Earth, contains primarily nitrogen (78%) and oxygen (21%), as well as small amounts of carbon dioxide, argon, and trace amounts of other gases

four primary layers of the atmosphere

thermosphere, mesosphere, stratosphere, troposphere

thermosphere

contains very thin air with very high temperatures. Aurora and satellites can be found here.

mesosphere

protects the Earth from meteors, which burn up from friction by the atmospheric particles found in this layer. It gets colder the higher you go, getting to the coldest temperatures found in the atmosphere.

stratosphere

contains jet streams, which are strong eastward winds that blow horizontally around the Earth. It gets warmer the higher you go.

ozone layer

found in the stratosphere, Ozone (O₃) is a form of oxygen that can block the sun's harmful ultraviolet radiation, which can damage living organisms.

troposphere

layer closest to the Earth where weather (including most clouds) occurs. It gets colder the higher you go.

air pressure.

The pressure of these layers pushing down on one another due to gravity

greenhouse effect

Keeps the Earth warm enough for life by trapping heat close to Earth

transpiration

• water within plant leaves exits as water vapor into the air

Condensation

The water vapor rises into the upper atmosphere where it cools and condenses from a gas to a liquid. It may even freeze into a solid. As these droplets stick together, clouds form.

Part of water cycle

The falling precipitation can land directly into bodies of water or onto land, where surface runoff takes it into the bodies of water. It can also percolate into the ground to become part of the groundwater supply

What drives weather

Uneven heating of the Earth

Coriolis Effect

While the air masses are rising and falling, they move in swirls relative to Earth's surface due to their inertia

northern hemisphere

Air moves counterclockwise

southern hemisphere,

air moves clockwise

surface currents

river-like movements of water of different temperatures within the ocean caused by a combination of wind currents, the uneven heating of Earth's surface, and the shape of landforms on Earth

Air masses

carry warm or cold, wet or dry air to other parts of the world

warm front

forms when a warm air mass approaches and overtakes a cold air mass.

temperatures rise as a warm front passes. gentle precipitation and mild weather.

cold front

forms when a cold air mass approaches a warm air mass

most likely to create a thunderstorm.

stationary front

forms when a cold air mass and a warm air mass meet, but neither has enough energy to push the other out of the way

result is long-lasting precipitation in the form of clouds, fog, drizzle, or snow.

occluded front

occurs when a warm air mass gets stuck between two cold air masses and lifted away from the Earth's surface

can bring strong winds and thunderstorms or gentle rains; it depends on the temperatures of the cold air masses.