← Earth and Environmental Science syllabus

VirginiaEarth and Environmental Science

Reporting Category: Oceanography, the Atmosphere, Meteorology and Astronomy

6 dot points across 6 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

What are air masses and fronts, and how do they produce storms?

Describe air masses and the weather at cold, warm, stationary and occluded fronts, and explain how thunderstorms, hurricanes and tornadoes form (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.9).
A SOL-level answer on weather systems for the Virginia Earth Science EOC: how air masses get their properties from their source region, the weather at cold, warm, stationary and occluded fronts, and how thunderstorms, hurricanes and tornadoes form, including their hazards in Virginia, with worked exam questions.
13 min answer →

What is air pressure, and how do pressure differences and Earth's rotation create wind?

Explain how temperature affects air pressure and density, how wind blows from high to low pressure, the Coriolis effect, and local winds such as land and sea breezes (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.8).
A SOL-level answer on air pressure and wind for the Virginia Earth Science EOC: how temperature controls air density and pressure, why wind blows from high to low pressure, the difference between rising low-pressure systems (stormy) and sinking high-pressure systems (fair), the Coriolis effect, and land and sea breezes, with worked exam questions.
12 min answer →

What controls a region's climate, and what is the evidence for climate change?

Distinguish weather from climate, explain the factors that control climate (latitude, elevation, water, ocean currents, prevailing winds), and describe the evidence for climate change and the enhanced greenhouse effect (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.9).
A SOL-level answer on climate for the Virginia Earth Science EOC: the difference between weather and climate, the factors that control climate (latitude, elevation, proximity to water, ocean currents, prevailing winds), the evidence for climate change, the enhanced greenhouse effect, and its impacts on Virginia, with worked exam questions.
13 min answer →

What is humidity and dew point, and how do clouds and precipitation form?

Explain humidity, relative humidity and dew point, describe how clouds form when air cools to saturation, and identify the main cloud types and forms of precipitation (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.8 and ES.9).
A SOL-level answer on atmospheric moisture for the Virginia Earth Science EOC: humidity and relative humidity, the dew point and saturation, how clouds form when rising air cools and condenses on nuclei, the main cloud types (cumulus, stratus, cirrus), and the forms of precipitation, with worked exam questions.
12 min answer →

How do you read a weather map, its isobars, front symbols and a station model?

Interpret weather maps, including isobars, front symbols, and the station model (temperature, dewpoint, pressure, wind, sky cover), and use them to forecast (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.1 and ES.9).
A SOL-level answer on weather maps for the Virginia Earth Science EOC: reading isobars and what close isobars mean, the symbols for cold, warm, stationary and occluded fronts, how to decode a station model (temperature, dewpoint, pressure, wind direction and speed, sky cover), and using maps to forecast, with worked exam questions.
12 min answer →

What is the atmosphere made of, how is it layered, and how does energy move through it?

Describe the composition and layers of the atmosphere and explain how energy is transferred by radiation, conduction and convection, including the greenhouse effect (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.8).
A SOL-level answer on the atmosphere for the Virginia Earth Science EOC: the composition (mostly nitrogen and oxygen), the layers (troposphere, stratosphere with the ozone layer, mesosphere, thermosphere), and the three ways energy moves (radiation, conduction, convection) plus the greenhouse effect, with worked exam questions.
13 min answer →