Climates around the world

Science · Earth's Systems · ages 8-9

Name ______________________ Date ____________

True or False: Climate can tell you exactly what the weather will be like tomorrow.
Circle one: True False
Which of these sentences is about climate?
- A snowstorm hit Oslo last night
- Winters in Oslo are usually snowy
- It rained in Oslo on Tuesday morning
A thunderstorm booms over Leo's town this afternoon. Is the thunderstorm weather or climate?
- Weather, because it is what is happening outside on one day
- Climate, because it is the pattern over many years
- Neither, because storms are not part of weather or climate
True or False: Weather changes from day to day, but climate describes the pattern over many years.
Circle one: True False
True or False: In a temperate climate, the weather feels about the same all year.
Circle one: True False
Which two climate types both stay warm all year?
- Tropical and desert
- Polar and temperate
- Polar and tropical
Which place is most likely warm all year: one close to the equator, or one far from the equator near the poles?
- The place close to the equator
- The place far from the equator
- Both are the same
Why is the Arctic cold all year?
- Because it is far from the equator and gets weak, slanted sunlight
- Because snow falls there, and snow makes a place cold
- Because it is farther from the sun in space
Town A sits near the equator and Town B sits near the South Pole. Both towns had a cool, cloudy day today. What can you say about their climates?
- Their climates are the same now, because today matched
- Town B must have the warmer climate now
- Town A still likely has the warmer climate, because one cool day does not change the years-long pattern
A scientist measures a town's winters for 30 years and finds they are slowly getting snowier. She says, 'This town's climate is changing.' Why does she call it climate and not weather?
- Because 30 years of winters show a long-term pattern, not one day's weather
- Because snow is never part of the weather
- Because she only measured one snowy afternoon

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Climates around the world W1-mt_Gm12BzcCfX-s1

False · Climate is the years-long pattern. Weather still changes from day to day, so climate cannot tell you exactly what tomorrow brings.
Winters in Oslo are usually snowy · A pattern that holds winter after winter is climate. One storm or one rainy Tuesday is just weather.
Weather, because it is what is happening outside on one day · One storm on one afternoon is weather. Climate is the pattern over many years.
True · That is exactly the difference between weather and climate.
False · Temperate climates have four changing seasons, from hot summers to cold, snowy winters.
Tropical and desert · Tropical and desert climates both stay warm all year. Polar climates stay cold, and temperate climates swing from hot summers to cold winters.
The place close to the equator · Places near the equator get more direct sunlight, so they tend to stay warm.
Because it is far from the equator and gets weak, slanted sunlight · The Arctic is far from the equator, so it gets weak, slanted sunlight all year. That keeps it cold.
Town A still likely has the warmer climate, because one cool day does not change the years-long pattern · One cool day is just weather. Town A is near the equator, so its years-long pattern is still warmer than Town B's.
Because 30 years of winters show a long-term pattern, not one day's weather · A change over 30 years is a shift in the long-term pattern, which is climate. Weather is what happens on single days.