WINDY NOTEGUIDE

NAME:_____________________________ PER: _______ DATE:_______

To the right of each statement, record your notes on the verbal class discussions, examples, analogies, and drawings. Under each statement, write a reference to where this information is found in your textbook or somewhere else in your notes, or write: "not covered in text".

0. Air moves over the surface from areas of high pressure (sinking air)
toward areas of low pressure (rising air).

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1. Surface wind is caused by the movement of air from high toward
low pressure areas.

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2. The speed of the wind is due to how close together the high and
 low pressure areas are: the closer together, the higher the wind speed.

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3. Wind speed is measured with an anemometer.

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4. On the planet as a whole, air that warms and rises near the equator
cools enough to sink at around 30 degrees latitude.

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5 Cold air at the poles spreads out toward the equator.

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6. The sinking air around 30 degrees latitude spreads out toward
the poles and back toward the equator.

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7. Where the air moving toward the poles from 30 degrees meets the
air moving from the poles, the air rises to complete the circulation pattern.

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8. The motion of the planet beneath the moving air causes an
apparent shift in direction of the wind called the Coriolis effect.

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9.1 The Coriolis effect causes winds in the Northern Hemisphere to
appear to shift to the right, those in the Southern Hemisphere to shift to the left.

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CORIOLIS EFFECT EXERCISE

Intro: The Coriolis Effect is the apparent change in direction of wind due to the rotation of the planet. Understanding why it looks like the winds curve to the right in the Northern Hemisphere is one of the most difficult topics in our study of the atmosphere. It is easy to understand that air must move from areas of high pressure to low pressure, but when we plot wind directions on a map, it look like the winds curve to the right. This exercise will help to show why the wind direction appears to change.

1. On the map of the N. Hemisphere, mark a small capital H to represent the center of a high pressure area.

2. Draw a short, 0.5 cm arrow pointing to the front of the classroom to represent the air as it starts to flow away from the high.

3. Now hold down the paper at the north pole and pivot the map toward the east to represent the turning of the Earth over a short period of time.

4. Now draw another short arrow starting at the point of the previous arrow and pointing again toward the front of the room. It will not be pointing in the same direction as the first arrow!

5. Continue turning the planet on its axis and drawing arrows until it looks like the wind is moving perpendicular to its original course.

6. Now repeat the process for a wind that begins from the high and starts out flowing toward another part of the classroom.

7. This happens because the momentum of the moving air tries to keep it going in the same direction, but the Earth moves under it.

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9.2 Coriolis effect causes the air flowing into low pressure
areas to spiral in with a counterclockwise direction.

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9.3 Coriolis effect causes the air flowing out of high pressure
areas to spiral out with a clockwise direction.

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10. The Coriolis effect causes the air flowing from the north between
30 degrees and the equator to blow from the northeast, so these
 winds are called the NE trade winds.

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11. The Coriolis effect causes the air flowing from the south between
30 degrees and 60 degrees to blow from the southwest, and these
winds are called the prevailing westerlies.

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12. The Coriolis effect causes the air flowing from the north pole
to blow from the northeast, and these winds are called the polar easterlies.

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13. Where the upper troposphere air from the equator meets the upper
 air flow from farther toward the pole, a strong wind stream called the
jet stream is formed.

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14. Global warming may interfere with wind currents by shifting the positions
of rising and descending air.

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