What sets a region's climate

Grade 9 Science Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Sunbeams striking the equator straight on and the poles at a slant.

2. 1.

   Why does the equator get more solar energy per square meter than the poles, by Ari's reading (NASA)?

   • The equator is closer to the Sun
   • Sunlight strikes more directly there, so it spreads out less
   • The poles are dark year-round
   • The poles sit in the Sun's shadow
3. 2.

   NASA: compared with the equator, about how much energy does 45° latitude get at an equinox, by Bo's reading?

   • About 70%
   • About 150%
   • About 40%
   • About 90%
4. 3.

   Climate graph for two cities. Where are tropical (A) climates, with every month above 18 °C, by Kira's reading (NOAA)?

   • High on mountains
   • At 60° to 70° latitude, in the cold polar zones
   • Near the poles
   • From the equator to about 15° to 25° latitude
5. 4.

   A town at the foot of a mountain is 70 °F. About how warm is a spot 2,000 feet higher, using NWS's normal lapse rate, by Luz's math?

   • About 63 °F
   • About 77 °F
   • About 66.5 °F
   • About 0 °F
6. 5.

   A mountain with temperatures dropping up its side. Why can high mountains near the equator be cold, by Milo's reading (NOAA, NWS)?

   • Elevation lowers the temperature, giving a highland climate
   • They are closer to the Sun
   • Ocean currents freeze them
   • They lie at a high latitude

7. 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.

8. 6.

   NOAA: day-night temperature swings are much greater over land than over water. Why, by Noah's reading?

   • Water heats faster than land
   • Sunlight heats only the top inches of soil but reaches deep into water
   • Water reflects most sunlight
   • Land holds its heat longer than water
9. 7.

   Which town likely has milder winters and cooler summers, by Pia's reading?

   • A coastal town
   • A desert town
   • An inland town at the same latitude
   • A town far from any water
10. 8.

    NOAA: how does the Gulf Stream affect winters on Florida's east coast, by Ren's reading?

    • It keeps them warmer
    • It makes them colder
    • It brings snow
    • It has no effect
12. 9.

    What is a rain shadow, by Tala's reading (NOAA)?

    • A shadow cast by rain clouds
    • A rainy valley floor between two mountain ranges
    • The wet windward side
    • The dry leeward side of a mountain range
13. 10.

    Why does the windward side of a mountain get more rain, by Zee's reading (USGS)?

    Use the picture in question 9.

    • The leeward side blocks the Sun
    • Air sinks and dries there before it reaches the peak
    • Wind carries the rain uphill and away
    • Moist air rises, cools and drops its rain there