Prevailing Wind Patterns

CARDINALNEWMANCATHOLICSECONDARY SCHOOL

Name: ______Date: ______SNC 2D1

PREVAILING WIND PATTERNS

WHAT IS WIND?

Wind is the ______movement of air relative to the Earth’s surface

WHAT CAUSES THE MOVEMENT?

The movement is caused by differences in ______

Air temperature ______because the Earth’s surface ______at different rates

This difference in air temperature results from such things as variations in ______, variations in ______and variationof ______ (eg. Water versus land)

Differences in air temperature cause differences in ______

 A difference in air pressure across a distance is called a ______and this drives the wind

LOCAL AND REGIONAL WINDS

Winds which occur in a ______

PREVAILING WINDS

Winds which affect ______

They affect the weather ______

THE CORIOLIS EFFECT

 The Earth’s ______causes anything that moves long distances (such as prevailing winds) to appear to ______

The apparent change of direction of a ______object in a rotating system is called the ______

When viewed from the ______, the Earth appears to rotate ______or ______

Moving objects or particles appear to move towards the ______

 When viewed from the ______, the Earth appears to rotate ______or ______

 Moving objects appear to move towards the ______

*** The Coriolis Effect is noticed least at the ______and noticed most at the ______

CAUSES OF PREVAILING WINDS

Prevailing winds are caused by a ______of ______and Earth’s ______rotation (in the ______)

 Similar patterns occur for the ______

EQUATORIAL CONVECTION CURRENTS

Air at the equator is ______, ______and ______creating a region of ______

This air move ______to ______where it cools and ______, creating a region of ______

This ______ surface air under higher pressure moves back towards the ______since it is a region of ______pressure

Air moves ______and twists to the ______and causes the ______

MID-LATITUDE CONVECTION CURRENTS

Some of the air at ______is ______towards a ______pressure area at ______where it ______

 This sets in motion a ______set of ______which produce the ______

POLAR CONVECTION CURRENTS

Finally the air at the ______is very ______and ______very ______

 The convection currents produced by this air movement produces the ______(The Coriolis Effect causes it to move towards the ______)

JET STREAMS

______winds in the ______regions of the ______often around the ______

They tend to move from ______to ______

Steer most of the ______

EFFECTS OF PREVAILING WINDS

Prevailing winds help to distribute large amounts of ______from the ______to the ______parts of the world

They also carry ______helping to cause a range of ______(such as ______and ______)

Near the ______, when two sets of ______meet and rise(one in Northern Hemisphere, one in Southern), weather tens to be ______and ______

 Similar effect at ______but are much stronger in the ______because the Arctic region receives ______

At ______, the air is ______and ______and creates ______conditions

QUESTIONS

1. In the Northern Hemisphere

(a) In what general direction does warm air flow?

(b) Toward which side do winds tend to twist?

2. Using the figure on the right and your notes, explain the cause of each of the following in the Southern Hemisphere:

(a) The southeast trade winds

(b) The mid-latitude westerlies

(d) The jet streams