JOURNAL #7 – AIR MOVEMENT 1. What is wind? 2. How does the Coriolis Effect play a role in air movement? 3. What are the doldrums?

AIR MOVEMENT Objective: Understanding how air moves through the atmosphere.

AIR MOVEMENT  Wind  Moves from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure  Caused by uneven heating of the atmosphere  Causes temperature and pressure differences

AIR MOVEMENT  Coriolis Effect  The effect of Earth’s rotation on the movement of air masses  Changes the direction of air flow  Northern Hemisphere – currents deflect right  Southern Hemisphere – currents deflect left

AIR MOVEMENT  Causes of Distinct Wind Patterns  Flowing of air caused by uneven heating of Earth  The Coriolis Effect

AIR MOVEMENT

Polar Easterlies Prevailing Westerlies / Jet Stream NE Trade Winds SE Trade Winds Polar Easterlies Doldrums Prevailing Westerlies / Jet Stream

AIR MOVEMENT  Doldrums  Windless area at the equator  The air above the equator rises  Low density, low pressure  Trade Winds  Steady winds between the equator and 30 degrees north or south  Jet Stream  Narrow belt of strong winds blowing from west to east in each hemisphere  Location: top of the troposphere  97 to 185 km/hr

AIR MOVEMENT Sea BreezeLand Breeze Day Night Solar radiation warms the land more than the water The land cools more rapidly than the water Breezes Caused By: the land heating and cooling more quickly than water

OTHER INFORMATION  Chlorofluorocarbons  Greenhouse Effect  Destroy the ozone  Dense Air  More molecules  UV-Rays  Causes skin cancer when received in large amounts  Gravity  Holds the atmospheric gases in place  Westerlies and Jet Stream  Causes movement of weather