Understanding Atmospheric Circulation and Wind Patterns
This review covers key concepts in atmospheric circulation, including the movement of air between high and low-pressure areas, the Coriolis effect on wind direction, and Earth's three global wind belts: polar easterlies, westerlies, and trade winds. It highlights the significance of jet streams, which influence weather patterns and airline routes, and examines local wind patterns caused by temperature differences between land and sea as well as mountains and valleys. Lastly, we discuss how the Coriolis effect causes winds moving south from the equator to curve eastward.
Understanding Atmospheric Circulation and Wind Patterns
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Presentation Transcript
Chapter 22 Section 3 Review Page 564 #’s 1-6
1 • Describe the pattern of air circulation between an area of low pressure and an area of high pressure. • Air moves from regions of high pressure toward regions of low pressure.
2 • Explain how the Coriolis effect affects wind flow. • In the Northern hemisphere, winds curve to the right; in the southern hemisphere, they curve to the left.
3 • Name and describe Earth’s three global wind belts. • Polar easterlies are prevailing winds that blow from east to west between 60o and 90o latitude in both hemispheres. • The westerlies are winds that blow from the southwest in the Northern Hemisphere and from the northwest in the southern Hemisphere in the belts between 30o and 60o latitude.
3 continued • Name and describe Earth’s three global wind belts. • The trade winds are prevailing winds that blow from the northeast from 30o N to the equator and from the southeast from 30o S to the equator.
4 • Summarize the importance of the jet streams. • Jet streams are narrow bands of high-speed winds that blow in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. • They are important because they can affect the paths of storms and airline routes.
5 • Identify two factors that create local wind patterns. • Temperature differences between land and sea and between mountains and valleys influence local wind patterns.
6 • Determine whether wind moving south form the equator will curve eastward or westward because of the Coriolis effect. • Wind moving southward from the equator will curve to the east because of the Coriolis effect.