What sets a region's climate

Grade 9 Science Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. 1.

   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 70%
   • About 40%
   • About 90%
   • About 150%
2. 2.

   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 35 °F per 1,000 feet
   • It drops about 3.5 °F per 1,000 feet
   • It rises 3.5 °F per 1,000 feet
3. 3.

   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 77 °F
   • About 63 °F
   • About 0 °F
4. 4.

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

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

5. 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.

6. 5.

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

   • Water reflects most sunlight
   • Land holds its heat longer than water
   • Sunlight heats only the top inches of soil but reaches deep into water
   • Water heats faster than land
7. 6.

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

   • A town far from any water
   • A desert town
   • An inland town at the same latitude
   • A coastal town
8. 7.

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

   • It has no effect
   • It keeps them warmer
   • It makes them colder
   • It brings snow
10. 8.

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

    • The wet windward side
    • A rainy valley floor between two mountain ranges
    • The dry leeward side of a mountain range
    • A shadow cast by rain clouds
11. 9.

    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
    • The leeward side blocks the Sun
    • Wind carries the rain uphill and away
    • Air sinks and dries there before it reaches the peak
12. 10.

    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 395 times
    • About 11 times
    • About 4 times
    • About 1.1 times