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9th grade What sets a region's climate worksheet

6 printable versionsBuilding Confidence10 questions · answer keyFree · no account

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What sets a region's climate

Grade 9 Science Worksheet - Building Confidence

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

  1. Read this first

    Use this

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

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

  3. 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 90%
    • About 40%

  4. 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
    • From the equator to about 15° to 25° latitude
    • Near the poles

  5. 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 drops 35 °F per 1,000 feet
    • It stays the same
    • It rises 3.5 °F per 1,000 feet
    • It drops about 3.5 °F per 1,000 feet

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

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

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

  8. 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?

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

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

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

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

    Use the picture in question 8.

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

  12. 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 4 times
    • About 1.1 times
    • About 395 times
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9th grade What sets a region's climate worksheet – printable
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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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