1.Weather is short-term atmospheric conditions; climate is long-term
patterns over decades
2.Warm air rises (less dense), cold air sinks (more dense) - drives
convection
3.Seasons are caused by Earth's axial tilt, not distance
REFSTUDY GUIDE: Big IdeasUse to answer form questions
1.Air masses are huge bodies of air with uniform temperature and
moisture.
They form over source regions and are classified by temperature
(polar/tropical) and moisture (maritime/continental).
2.Fronts form where air masses with different densities
collide.
Cold fronts push under warm air (fast, severe); warm fronts slide
over cold air (slow, steady rain).
3.Pressure differences drive wind and predict weather
patterns.
High pressure = sinking air = clear skies; Low pressure = rising air
= clouds and storms.
Sun Heats Surface->Air Mass Forms->Masses Collide->Front Develops->Storm/Weather
WEATHER CASCADE (Sun energy drives air mass movement, collisions
create fronts and storms)
DRAWKEY TERMSGoogle each → Images tab → sketch what you see
Air mass
Large body of air with uniform temperature and humidity / Gran
cuerpo de aire con temperatura y humedad uniforme
Front
Boundary where two air masses meet
Pressure system
H = sinking air, clear; L = rising…
Isobar
Line on map connecting equal press…
WRITEFOCUS QUESTIONYour initial thinking
Why do some areas get massive storms while nearby areas stay dry?
In February 2011, Chicago received 21.2 inches of snow in just 24
hours—shutting down Lake Shore Drive and stranding thousands. But
cities just 50 miles south got only a dusting. How can two places so
close have such different weather?
I think some areas get hit harder because...
WRITEAFTER HOOK FORMReflect before continuing
I learned that air masses affect local weather by...
Station 1 — Air Mass Properties
Maritime tropical (mT) air is different from continental polar
(cP) because...
Cold air sinks and warm air rises because of differences
in...
This connects to Chicago's blizzard because...
Station 1 — Air Mass Properties
CHECKPOINT:air mass = large body of air
with uniform temperature and humidity from its source region
Maritime tropical (mT) air is different from continental polar
(cP) because...
Cold air sinks and warm air rises because of differences
in...
This connects to Chicago's blizzard because...
Station 2 — Frontal Boundaries
CHECKPOINT:front = boundary where air
masses of different densities collide, causing weather changes
When a cold front pushes under warm air, the weather changes
by...
A warm front differs from a cold front because...
Fronts cause severe weather when...
CHECKDAY 1 CHECK-INBefore you leave
Q1:Why does a cold front typically produce more severe weather than a
warm front?
Q2:How might changing weather patterns affect the ecosystem monitoring
systems we studied in C4?
Confidence:
Air Masses & Storm Formation (Day 2)
Name:
Station 2 — Frontal Boundaries
When a cold front pushes under warm air, the weather changes
by...
A warm front differs from a cold front because...
Fronts cause severe weather when...
Station 3 — Pressure System Analysis
CHECKPOINT:pressure system = area of high
or low atmospheric pressure; isobars close together = strong wind
High pressure systems bring clear weather because...
Low pressure systems create storms because...
Reading a weather map, I can predict storms by looking
at...
DRAWYOUR WEATHER SYSTEM MODELComplete before exit
Model how air masses create weather: (1) Two air
masses with labels (type, temp, moisture), (2) Front boundary between
them, (3) What happens to air at the front (rising/sinking), (4)
Weather result (clouds, precipitation). Use
arrows for air movement, labels for
each part.
Include: Two air masses Front boundary Air movement arrows Pressure labels (H/L) Weather result
CHECKTEST YOUR THINKINGRate each: FALSE ← 1–2–3–4–5 → TRUE
1. Cold air rises because it has more energy than warm air.
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2. Weather and climate are the same thing, just measured
differently.
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3. Air masses collide at fronts because they have different
densities.
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4. High pressure always means the temperature will be hot.
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5. Uneven heating by the Sun is what ultimately drives weather
patterns on Earth.
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Defend TWO of your ratings - what do you know that you know?