Year 10 Science · Unit 4 · Lesson 1

Weather vs Climate

Foundation Worksheet

Name

Date

Class

Learning Goals

Distinguish between weather (short-term) and climate (long-term averages over 30+ years).
Identify Australia's four main climate zones and give a city example for each.
Explain what El Niño and La Niña are and how they affect eastern Australia.

Warm Up

Fill the gap

Choose the correct word from the word bank to complete each sentence. Use each word once. Two words will not be used.

weather climate tropical arid temperate El Niño La Niña Mediterranean monsoon

1. "Climate is what you expect; is what you get." This saying captures the key difference between the two concepts.

2. The long-term average of atmospheric conditions recorded over 30 or more years is called the of a region.

3. Darwin, in Australia's north, sits in the climate zone, it receives high rainfall and is hot and humid most of the year.

4. Alice Springs in central Australia experiences a hot, dry climate with very little annual rainfall.

5. Melbourne and Sydney are examples of cities with a climate, mild temperatures with distinct seasonal changes in rainfall.

6. During an event, warm ocean water in the Pacific shifts eastward, causing eastern Australia to experience reduced rainfall and drought conditions.

7. brings above-average rainfall and flood risk to eastern Australia because warm water remains in the western Pacific, pushing extra moisture over the continent.

Your Turn

Sort it!

Write each item from the pool into the correct column of the table below.

Sydney's average July temperature is 13°C It rained heavily in Brisbane this morning Warm Pacific water shifts east, cutting eastern Australia's rain Darwin has a distinct wet season from November to April There was a strong cold wind in Melbourne on Tuesday La Niña increased flood risk in Queensland in 2022 Perth receives most of its rainfall during winter months Thunder and lightning were seen over the Blue Mountains yesterday El Niño contributed to the 2019–20 Black Summer bushfires Alice Springs averages fewer than 250 mm of rain per year

Weather

Climate

ENSO

Show What You Know

1. Why do scientists need at least 30 years of data to describe a region's climate, rather than just looking at last year's weather?

Recall 2 marks

2. Name one Australian city for each climate zone: (a) tropical, (b) arid, (c) temperate.

Recall 1 mark

Wrap Up

In one sentence, what was the main idea of this lesson?