Activities

1. Define weather.
   
   
2. Define climate.
   
   
3. What causes clouds to form?
   
   
4. Where are hurricanes most common? How are they related to the water system of these regions?
   
   
5. How do ocean currents affect temperature? Give an example.
   
   
6. How does moisture and temperature affect the onset of lake effect snow? Give an example of a region affected by lake effect storms.
   
   

Answer Key/Rubric

1. Weather is the state of the air and atmosphere at a particular time and place
   
   
2. Climate is the long-term meteorological conditions prevailing in a region.
   
   
3. Clouds form air rises, cools and condenses into water droplets, or ice crystals that form clouds.
   
   
4. Acceptable answers include, but are not limited to:
   Hurricanes are most common in tropical regions.  They are affected by the water systems of the area because they originate over warm ocean water.  Hurricanes gain intensity when warm ocean water evaporates, providing energy causing the swirling storm to form.

5. Acceptable answers include, but are not limited to:
   Ocean currents affect temperature because they move hot or cold water from one place to another.  As warm water travels north, it warms the water and air that it interacts with.  Convection currents are responsible for this movement. As warm air rises and cools, it eventually sinks as it cools again.  This continuous pattern forms a circular motion which allows for the transfer of the heat, producing warmer or cooler temperatures.
   Examples include, but are not limited to:

• The Gulf Stream originates in the Gulf of Mexico, and transfers the warm air and water along the eastern coast of the United States, then across the Atlantic to Europe.
• The Humboldt Current is a cold ocean current that flows northward along the western coast of South America. These currents transfer cooler air, therefore are responsible for the cooling climates of western South American countries including Peru, Ecuador, and Chile.

6. Acceptable answers include, but are not limited to:
   Lake effect snow occurs when a cold air mass moves over warmer lake water.  The extreme temperature difference causes the air closest to the water to warm up. This warmer air mass picks up moisture in the form of water vapor. This water vapor rises into the cooler air above, causing precipitation in the form of snow to be deposited.
   Examples include, but are not limited to:

• The Great Lakes region of the United States. As cold air masses move across the warmer lakes, areas to the east generally are affected by lake effect snow, such as Buffalo, NY.