Sun-Driven Weather Systems

Question 1

On a clear summer morning, the temperature over Greenfield Meadow is 28 °C, while the temperature over nearby Lake Sapphire just to the east is 22 °C. Ignoring any other forces, which statement best explains the direction the wind will blow between the lake and the meadow?

Accepted Answer

Air will move from the lake toward the meadow because the cooler air over the lake is denser, creating higher pressure there, while the warm air over the meadow rises, creating lower pressure; wind always flows from high pressure to low pressure.

Answer

Air will move from the meadow toward the lake because wind always blows from the warmer area to the cooler area.

Answer

The air will stay still because the Sun’s heat reaches both places equally, so there is no pressure difference.

Answer

Air will move from the lake toward the meadow because the Sun’s rays push the air away from the lake toward the meadow.

Question 2

In the summer, the interior region of the country of Terralune reaches 34 °C while the nearby ocean stays around 26 °C. Which of the following best explains how this temperature difference can lead to a large‑scale wind pattern that affects weather across the whole interior?

Accepted Answer

The land heats faster, so the air above it becomes warm and rises, creating low pressure over the interior; the cooler, higher‑pressure air over the ocean then moves inland, producing a broad on‑shore wind that can pull moist air toward the interior and help form widespread storms.

Answer

Because the land is hotter, the air over it becomes heavier and sinks, pushing the cooler ocean air away and causing a wind that blows from the interior toward the sea.

Answer

The Sun’s rays directly push the warm air from the land toward the poles, and the cooling ocean water then pulls that air back toward the interior, creating a circular wind that stays only over the ocean.

Answer

Warm water evaporates faster than warm land, so the ocean sends a steady breeze toward the interior that cools the land and prevents any low‑pressure area from forming.

Question 3

A weather station records the following data as a weather front moves through the area. Which set of observations provides the best evidence that a cold air mass is moving into the region, causing a change in weather?

Accepted Answer

Temperature falls from 78 °F to 58 °F and the wind direction changes from south to northwest.

Answer

Wind speed increases from 5 mph to 20 mph, but temperature stays the same.

Answer

Cloud cover changes from overcast to clear, with temperature unchanged.

Answer

Temperature remains at 70 °F while humidity increases from 40 % to 70 %.

Try three questions

On a clear summer morning, the temperature over Greenfield Meadow is 28 °C, while the temperature over nearby Lake Sapphire just to the east is 22 °C. Ignoring any other forces, which statement best explains the direction the wind will blow between the lake and the meadow?

In the summer, the interior region of the country of Terralune reaches 34 °C while the nearby ocean stays around 26 °C. Which of the following best explains how this temperature difference can lead to a large‑scale wind pattern that affects weather across the whole interior?

A weather station records the following data as a weather front moves through the area. Which set of observations provides the best evidence that a cold air mass is moving into the region, causing a change in weather?

Keep going on this shelf