Name: ________________________________ Class: ________ Date: __________________

Weather WebQuest
The Atmosphere
Go to: https://www.ducksters.com/science/atmosphere.php
The earth is surrounded by a _______________________
Layer of gases called the ________________.
atmosphere The
atmosphere is very _________________________
important to life on ________________
earth and does many
______________________
things to help protect life and help _____________________
earth to survive.
The atmosphere absorbs the ______________
heat from the _________________
sun and keeps the heat
________________
inside the atmosphere helping the _______________________
earth to stay warm, called the
greenhouse
___________________ Effect.
What gases make up the atmosphere? (Give the percentages!) __________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
The atmosphere mostly made up of Nitrogen (78%) and Oxygen (21%)
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
The 5 main layers of the atmosphere are Exosphere,
What are the five main layers of the atmosphere? ________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Thermosphere, Mesosphere, Stratosphere and Troposphere.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Exosphere is closest to space
Which layer is closest to space? __________________________________________________________
Which layer is the hottest layer? __________________________________________________________
The Thermosphere is the hottest layer

Which layer is the coldest layer? _________________________________________________________

The Mesosphere is the coldest layer
Clouds
Go to: http://www.weatherwizkids.com/weather-clouds.htm
Clouds are large collections of very tiny droplets of water or ice crystals.
What are clouds? ____________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Why are some clouds gray, but some clouds are white? ________________________________________
Some clouds are white because their water droplets or
ice crystals are large enough to scatter the light of the 7 wavelengths. Some clouds are grey because their water droplets
________________________________________________________________________________________________
or ice crystals are large enough to scatter the light of the 7 wavelengths.
Fill in the blanks on the following chart:
Cloud Group Cloud Height Cloud Types
____________________
Cirrus
Cirrus
High Clouds = ________________ 18,000
Above ______________ feet Cirrostratus
Cirrocumulus
________________
Middle clouds Clouds = Alto _____________
6,500 feet to 18,000 __________
feet Altostratus
Altocumulus
______________
low clouds Clouds = __________
stratus Up to _______________
6,500 feet Stratus
Stratocumulus
Nimbostratus
Clouds (continued)
Cirrus clouds are the most ___________________________
common of the high clouds. They are composed of
____________________
ice and are _________________________,
thin ____________________
wispy clouds blown in high
long
winds into _______________________ streamers.
uniform
Stratus clouds are ________________ clouds
grayish ____________________ entire
that often cover the _______________
sky. They resemble __________________
fog that doesn’t _______________
reach the ground. ________________
light
mist or ________________
drizzle sometimes ____________________
falls out of these ___________________.
clouds
white pieces
Cumulus clouds are __________________, puffy clouds that look like _____________________ of floating
__________________.
cotton Cumulus clouds are often called “___________________”.
fair-weather clouds The base of each cloud
is ___________________
flat and the _____________________
top of each cloud has __________________
rounded towers.

The Water Cycle

Go to: https://water.usgs.gov/edu/watercycle-kids-adv.html
Observe the Water Cycle diagram and as you hover the mouse over the different terms, choose
THREE vocabulary terms from the diagram, hover the cursor over them and READ the information
provided. Record one new thing you learned from each of the three terms that you read about.

TERM:_______________________
Atmosphere
New information:
The densest part of the atmosphere only extends to about 20km above the ground.

TERM:_______________________
Sun
New information:
the suns temperature ranges from 5,973°C to 15,000,000°C.

TERM:_______________________
clouds

New information:
thunderstorm clouds could be green and no one knows why.

What occurs when a gas is changed into a liquid? condensation occurs when a gas is changed to a liquid.
_____________________________________________
What is the water that runs off the surface of the land and flows downhill into streams, rivers, ponds
Run off is when water from the surface land flows into bodies of water.
and lakes called? ____________________________________________________________________________
Evaporation through plant leave is transpiration.
What is the process of evaporation through plant leaves called? _______________________________
What is the opposite of evaporation? _________________________________________________________
the opposite of evaporation is condensation.

What is the process of liquid turning into a gas called? _________________________________________

liquid turning to a gas is vaporization
What is it called when raindrops fall to the earth? _____________________________________________
precipitation

Fronts
Go to: http://www.phschool.com/atschool/phsciexp/active_art/weather_fronts/
Click on each type of front and read the description and watch the simulation.
Fronts (continued)
When do cold fronts occur? (read the description at the top for cold front) _________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Draw a stationary front below. Draw a warm front below.

Describe what happens in an occluded front: ___________________________________________________

the cold air mass from the cold front meets the cold air that was

________________________________________________________________________________________________
ahead of the warm air front.

Go to: https://eo.ucar.edu/kids/sky/air5.htm
A ______________________
warm front is a warm-cold air ______________________
mixed with the colder air replacing
the warmer. As a cold front moves into an area, the ___________________ cool air pushes under the
lighter troposphere
__________________ warm air that it is ____________________________.
blue
What color is represented on a weather map for cold? _____________________ Draw what it might look
like on the map:

A _________________
cold front is the boundary between _______________
2 air masses and cool (or cold) air when the

warm _____________
air is replacing the cold air. _______________
warm air at the surface ______________
area above
other warm rain
the ______________ air mass, making __________________ and storms.
What color is represented on a weather map for warm? _____________________
red Draw what it might
look like on the map:

Winds/Climate

Go to: http://www.eschooltoday.com/winds/types-of-winds.html
Local Winds:
_________________
local winds are those that are _______________ as a result of _______________ such as
mountains, _________________, water ________________ and so on. They usually _________________ very
often and the ___________________ forecast people talk about this _________________ on the TV every
day. They can move from __________________ to extreme _________________ in just hours. Good
examples of __________________ winds are sea ________________ and land ______________________, and
mountain and valley breezes. Local _________________ cover very short distances.
Winds/Climate (continued)
Global Winds:
_____________________
global winds are really ____________________ air masses that are _________________
mainly as a ___________________ of the earth’s rotation, the _________________ of the Earth and the
Sun’s ___________________ power.
Label the circle below with the winds, latitude degrees, and arrows.

What is a doldrum? __________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________
Click on Land and Sea Breezes on the left.
Does water or land take more time to heat up? ________________________________________________
Draw the Sea Breeze: Draw the Land Breeze:

Describe how the Sea Breeze occurs: __________________________________________________________

as the warm air over the land is rising, the cooler air over the ocean is flowing
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
over the land surface to replace the rising warm air.
Describe how the Land Breeze occurs: _________________________________________________________
the denser cool air over the land is flowing offshore to replenish the bouyant
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
warm air and is called a land breeze.
 Weather Tools
Go to: http://www.weatherwizkids.com/weather-instruments.htm
What is an Anemometer used to measure? A
_______________________________________________________
Anemometer is used to measure wind speed.
What is a Wind Vane used to help with? __________________________________________________________
A wind vane is used to measure the direction of the wind.
What does a Thermometer measure? ____________________________________________________________
A thermometer is used to measure temperature.

Describe a Sling Psychrometer: ___________________________________________________________________

A Sling Psychrometer can be used to find relative humidity, which is
expressed as a percentage.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
What does a Barometer measure? ________________________________________________________________
A barometer is used to measure atmospheric pressure.
What does a Rain Gauge measure? _____________________________________________________________
A Rain Gauge is used to measure precipitation.
What is a compass used for? ____________________________________________________________________
A compass is used to indicate direction.

Weather Maps
Go to http://www.weatherwizkids.com/weather-forecasting.htm
Weather _______________________
symbols are used on my _____________________
weather maps as shorthand for the
____________________
conditions at weather observing _________________________.
stations
Label the following blanks:

Sea-level pressure
___________________
Temperature
___________________

Sky cover
___________________
Dew point
___________________

How is a high pressure represented on a map? _________________________________________________

High pressure is represented by a blue "H"

What is a low-pressure system? _________________________________________________________________

A low pressure system is a whirling mass of warm, moist air that generally brins
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
stormy weather with strong winds.
How is a low pressure represented on a map? __________________________________________________
Low pressure is represented by a red "L"

What is the definition of humidity? _______________________________________________________________

Humidity is the amount of water vapor in the air.
______________________
Polar latitudes (P) - _________________
located poleward of 60 _____________
degrees North and South
Tropical __________________
latitudes (T) – located within about _______
25 degrees of the Equator
_______________________
Continental (c) – located over _________________
large land masses, ______________________
dry

Marine (m) _________________________

located over the ________________________
oceans
Weather Maps (continued)
What is a front? ________________________________________________________________________________
A front is a boundary between 2 different air masses, resulting in stormy weather.

________________________________________________________________________________________________
Draw what a cold front would look like below… what color would it be? _________________________
it would be blue.

Draw what a warm front would look like below… what color would it be? _______________________

Draw what a stationary front would look like below.

Greenhouse Effect
Go to: https://climatekids.nasa.gov/greenhouse-effect/
How is a greenhouse warmed? (even during the winter months!) ________________________________
During the day, sunlight shines into the

__________________________________________________.
greenhouse and warms the plants and air inside. Gases in the ______________________
atmosphere such as
carbon _____________________
dioxide do what the ___________________
glass roof of a ____________________
green house does.
During the ____________________,
day the ______________
sun shines through the atmosphere. Earth’s
___________________
surface warms up in the sunlight. At __________________
night Earth’s ________________
surface cools,
releasing the ___________________
heat back into the air. But _______________
some of the heat is ________________
trapped
by the greenhouse gases in the ______________________.
atmosphere That’s what keeps our Earth a
__________________________
warm and cozy ______________
58 degrees Fahrenheit, on __________.
average.

(Not on the website you are looking at but it’s in your head from what we previously learned!) The
Sun’s rays heating Earth is radiation, so what is the way in which heat travels in liquids and gases
allowing warm particles to expand/become lighter and rise and cool particles to contract/become
Convention.
heavier and sink causing circulation of heat energy? ____________________________________

Spend some time exploring all the websites and write any questions, thoughts or interesting things you
learned below. Hope you enjoyed this and learned a lot!