2 nd Quarter Final Exam Study Guide Final

2 nd Quarter Final Exam Study Guide

Final Exam Wednesday, Dec 18 Thursday, Dec 19 7: 40 – 8: 35 Period 1 Advisory 55 min 7: 40 – 7: 57 Period 1 Advisory 17 min 8: 39 – 9: 59 Period 7 Final 80 min 8: 01 – 9: 21 Period 4 Final 80 min 10: 03 – 11: 23 Period 2 Final 80 min 9: 25 – 10: 45 Period 5 Final 80 min 11: 27 – 12: 47 Period 3 Final 80 min 10: 49 – 12: 09 Period 6 Final 80 min 12: 47 – 1: 17 Lunch 30 min 12: 09 – 12: 39 Lunch 30 min 1: 23 – 1: 39 Period 8 Advisory 16 min

Final Exam • Exam will be in four parts, 20 questions each (80 total, all multiple choice) – – Part 1: The Atmosphere Part 2: Weather Factors Part 3: Weather Patterns Part 4: Stars & Galaxies • Questions will be similar to, but not the same, as your quizzes • Each part counts as a quiz retake, but will not lower your grade

The Atmosphere • Study all assignments & notes • Composition of the atmosphere – What is the most abundant gas in out atmosphere? What is the 2 nd most abundant gas? – Know other important trace gases in our atmosphere (CO 2, O 3, H 2 O) – Know about particles in atmosphere, why are they important (2 main reasons) • How does the atmosphere allow for life on planet Earth?

The Atmosphere • Know the three major properties of air – Mass, density, pressure • What is air pressure? – How is air pressure measured in weather reports? (inches of mercury, in Hg) – How is air pressure measured on weather maps? (millibars, 1000 bars, mb) • What type of instrument measures air pressure? • What does altitude mean? – What happens to air density with increased altitude? – What happens to air pressure with increased altitude?

The Atmosphere • Know the four major layers of the atmosphere, and what order they are in – What makes each layer different (temperature, density, pressure) • Troposphere (where we live) – Turbulent, chaotic, always changing layer. Where does most weather occur? – Which layer is lowest in altitude? Which layer has the highest air density and air pressure? • Stratosphere – Calm layer with little weather – Do we travel in the stratosphere? (jet planes, weather balloons) – Ozone Layer absorbs ultraviolet radiation (UV)

The Atmosphere • Mesosphere – Most meteors and falling satellites burn up in this layer from heat caused by air friction • Thermosphere – Layer with highest altitude – Ionosphere: lower part, charged gas particles interact with charged solar particles to form auroras – Exosphere: higher part, blends into space gradually, no clearly defined boundary

The Atmosphere • What are pollutants? (harmful gases or particles in the air, water, or soil) • What are two major sources of pollution? (nature and human activities) • What is smog? • What is acid rain?

Weather Factors • Know the three type of heat (energy) transfer • Where does our atmosphere get its energy from to drive the weather? • What type of heat transfer gets energy from the Sun to Earth’s atmosphere? – How does it travel through space? • Know about electromagnetic waves and the electromagnetic spectrum – What types of energy are part of the EM spectrum? – What is visible radiation? – What two types of non-visible radiation affect us every day?

Weather Factors • What happens to the Sun’s energy as it enters Earth’s atmosphere? – Some is reflected back into space – Some is absorbed by the atmosphere – Some is absorbed by Earth’s surface, and then radiated back into atmosphere at night • What is the greenhouse effect?

Weather Factors • What is wind? How does differences in air pressure affect the wind? • What instrument do we use to measure the wind? • What is the wind chill factor? • Explain local winds using the examples of land breezes and sea/lake breezes

Weather Factors • Understand the global convection currents that affect global winds – Calm areas: doldrums, horse latitudes – Wind belts: trades, westerlies, easterlies • Understand the Coriolis Effect • What is the jet stream?

Weather Factors • Understand the water cycle. How does water move between the atmosphere and Earth’s surface? • What is evaporation? What is condensation? • What is humidity? What is relative humidity? – What instrument do we use to measure humidity? • How do clouds form? (involves cooling and particles) – What is the dew point?

Weather Factors • How do we classify clouds? – Shape: cirrus, cumulus, stratus – Altitude: low, middle, high – Fog • What is precipitation? Name major types of precipitation.

Weather Patterns • Know the five major types of air masses – – – Maritime tropical Maritime polar Continental tropical Continental polar Continental arctic • Why do most air masses in the US move to the East, but hurricanes move to the West?

Weather Patterns • Know what a front is, and the four major types – Cold front, warm front, stationary front, occluded front – What type of weather do cold fronts often bring? • What are highs (H) and lows (L) on weather maps? How do highs and lows relate to cyclones? • What is the difference between a cyclone and a cyclonic storm?

Weather Patterns • What is a thunderstorm? How is it different from other rain cloud systems? • What is a tornado? Where do tornados form? Understand tornado safety • Why do so many tornados form in Tornado Alley? (has to do with moving air masses) • What is a hurricane? Where do hurricanes form, and where do they move?