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9th grade What sets a region's climate worksheet

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What sets a region's climate

Grade 9 Science Worksheet

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

  1. Read this first

    Table, Two cities at the same latitude (model data), with columns City, January, July

    A, on a coast, 10 °C, 20 °C; B, far inland, −5 °C, 27 °C.

  2. Using the table, which city is on the coast, by Bo's reading?

    • Both, since their ranges match
    • City B, with the larger yearly range
    • Neither, since range shows latitude
    • City A, with the smaller yearly range

  3. Using the table, what is City B's yearly temperature range, by Esme's math?

    • −32 °C
    • 32 °C
    • 10 °C
    • 22 °C

  5. A road climbs 6,000 feet from an 80 °F valley. Using NWS's normal lapse rate, about what temperature is it at the top, by Kira's math?

    • About 101 °F
    • About 59 °F
    • About 74 °F
    • About 76.5 °F

  6. NWS: the dry lapse rate is 5.5 °F per 1,000 feet. Dry air sinking 4,000 feet down the leeward side warms by how much, by Luz's math?

    Use the picture in question 3.

    • About 5.5 °F
    • About 14 °F
    • It cools by about 22 °F
    • About 22 °F

  7. Why does air sinking down the leeward side of a range stay dry, by Milo's reading?

    • It lost its moisture rising over the windward side and warms as it sinks
    • It cools as it sinks
    • It picks up rain as it sinks
    • The windward side is the dry one

  8. Table, Two cities at the same latitude (model data), with columns City, January, July

    A, on a coast, 10 °C, 20 °C; B, far inland, −5 °C, 27 °C.

  9. Two coastal towns share a latitude; one faces a warm current and one a cold current (model). Which has milder winters, by Noah's reading?

    • Neither, since currents don't affect air
    • The town by the warm current
    • The town by the cold current
    • They match, since latitude decides

  10. NOAA: in clear tropical water light reaches 150 to 200 m, but on land it heats the top few inches. How does that shape coastal climate, by Pia's reading?

    • The ocean reflects the heat away
    • Land stores more heat, so coasts swing more
    • The light depth matters just for fish
    • The ocean stores heat in a deep layer, damping temperature swings

  11. NOAA: after a sea breeze front passes, air can cool 15 to 20 °F. If it was 92 °F before, what range follows, by Ren's math?

    • About 82 to 87 °F
    • About 107 to 112 °F
    • About 72 to 77 °F
    • About 15 to 20 °F

  12. Use this

    Climate graph for two cities.

  13. Why are many dry (B) climates near 20° to 35° latitude, by Tala's reading (NOAA)?

    • Mountains block the wind there
    • Sinking air in the high-pressure belt near 30° brings dry weather
    • Rising air there brings rain
    • They are farther from the Sun

  14. NOAA: in polar (E) climates the warmest month averages under 10 °C. One city's warmest month averages 8 °C, another's 18 °C (model). Which is polar, by Zee's reading?

    • Both cities
    • The city with an 8 °C warmest month
    • The city with an 18 °C warmest month
    • Neither city
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9th grade What sets a region's climate worksheet – printable
Print: 123456

About this worksheet

Explain what sets a region's climate. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

  • I can explain how latitude sets the Sun's angle and so the energy a place receives.
  • I can use NWS lapse rates (3.5 °F per 1,000 feet normal; 5.5 °F dry) to find temperatures at height, and explain highland climates.
  • I can explain how oceans and currents even out temperatures, how mountains make rain shadows, and read Köppen groups.

Standard: supports HS-ESS2-4

Words to know

latitude: Distance north or south of the equator, which sets the Sun's angle

lapse rate: How fast air cools with height

rain shadow: The dry leeward side of a mountain range

windward: The side facing the wind

climate normal: A 30-year average of weather

Common mistakes

Your child misread latitude. NASA: sunlight strikes the tropics more directly; toward the poles it arrives at a low angle and spreads out, so less energy reaches each square meter.

Your child had higher places warmer. NWS: air cools about 3.5 °F per 1,000 feet as you climb (normal lapse rate).

Your child reversed the ocean's effect. NOAA: sunlight heats only the top few inches of land but reaches deep into water, so coasts swing less in temperature than inland places.

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with what sets a region's climate?

Your child misread latitude. NASA: sunlight strikes the tropics more directly; toward the poles it arrives at a low angle and spreads out, so less energy reaches each square meter.

Are these 9th grade science worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

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