What sets a region's climate
Grade 9 Science Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.
Sunbeams striking the equator straight on and the poles at a slant. NASA: compared with the equator, about how much energy does 45° latitude get at an equinox, by Bo's reading?
- About 40%
- About 90%
- About 150%
- About 70%
Climate graph for two cities. Where are tropical (A) climates, with every month above 18 °C, by Kira's reading (NOAA)?
- From the equator to about 15° to 25° latitude
- High on mountains
- At 60° to 70° latitude, in the cold polar zones
- Near the poles
A mountain with temperatures dropping up its side. NWS: the normal lapse rate is 3.5 °F per 1,000 feet. How does temperature change as you climb, by Jun's reading?
- It stays the same
- It drops about 3.5 °F per 1,000 feet
- It drops 35 °F per 1,000 feet
- It rises 3.5 °F per 1,000 feet
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 66.5 °F
- About 63 °F
- About 0 °F
- About 77 °F
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.
NOAA: day-night temperature swings are much greater over land than over water. Why, by Noah's reading?
- Sunlight heats only the top inches of soil but reaches deep into water
- Water reflects most sunlight
- Land holds its heat longer than water
- Water heats faster than land
Which town likely has milder winters and cooler summers, by Pia's reading?
- A desert town
- A coastal town
- An inland town at the same latitude
- A town far from any water
NOAA: how does the Gulf Stream affect winters on Florida's east coast, by Ren's reading?
- It brings snow
- It has no effect
- It makes them colder
- It keeps them warmer
Air rising and raining over a mountain, then sinking dry. Air rising and raining over a mountain, then sinking dry. Air rising raining sinking dry mountain What is a rain shadow, by Tala's reading (NOAA)?
- A rainy valley floor between two mountain ranges
- The dry leeward side of a mountain range
- The wet windward side
- A shadow cast by rain clouds
Why does the windward side of a mountain get more rain, by Zee's reading (USGS)?
Use the picture in question 8.
- Moist air rises, cools and drops its rain there
- Air sinks and dries there before it reaches the peak
- Wind carries the rain uphill and away
- The leeward side blocks the Sun
USGS: Kauai's summit gets more than 435 inches of rain a year; many leeward coasts get less than 40. About how many times more is 435 than 40, by Esme's math?
Use the picture in question 8.
- About 11 times
- About 395 times
- About 1.1 times
- About 4 times