Wind Notes Pre-Work: Define heat budget and draw a diagram of the Earth’s heat budget.

Air & Sea Interdependency Atmosphere & ocean are an interconnected system. A change in the atm. affects the ocean & vice versa.

The Heat Budget

Heat Budget = gains & loses in heat on Earth. Earth needs to lose as much heat back to space as it receives from the sun or the Earth’s climate will change.

Solar radiation is not distributed equally on the Earth. Solar radiation is most intense between 23 ½˚N latitude (_____________) and 23 ½˚S latitude (_______________). It is the most intense at the ______. Tropic of Cancer Tropic of Capricorn equator

There are 2 reasons for that: Light rays are more perpendicular toward the middle of the Earth, so sunlight is more concentrated in that area. Light has a shorter distance to travel through the atmosphere at lower latitudes.

Air Pressure is the vertical movement of air in a convection current Air Pressure is the vertical movement of air in a convection current. It is how hard the air is pushing down on Earth. P = Pressure WARM air is less dense, so it rises, so….. LOW P MOIST air is less dense, so it rises, so…. LOW P COLD air is more dense, so it sinks, so…… HIGH P DRY air is more dense, so it sinks, so……… HIGH P

Low Pressure (warm/moist air rises). Wind is the horizontal movement of air in a convection current & is created when… Low Pressure (warm/moist air rises). Cool/Dry air whooshes in to replace the warm/moist air. This is the wind. Cooler Air (high P) Hot Air (low P) wind Cooler Water Hot Sand

5 Main Rules Air takes on the characteristics of the surface that it’s over. Air Pressure is the up or down movement of air. Wind is the horizontal movement of air. Warm, moist air = Rises = Low Pressure Cold, dry air = Sinks = High Pressure Wind always blows from High P to Low P. Winds are named for where they come from.

Local Winds Winds that affect a small area. Also caused by the unequal heating of the earth. 2 Main Types: Sea Breeze Land Breeze

Sea Breeze During the day, air over land heats up & rises. Cool air from the sea moves in to take its place.

Land Breeze At night, air over the sea is warmer & rises. Cooler air from the land moves in to take its place.

Would Hawaii have monsoons? Why/Why not? Large scale sea & land breezes that occur in coastal areas of extreme temp. changes over the seasons. Winter Monsoon – a winter-long Land Breeze = dry season. Summer Monsoon – a summer-long Sea Breeze = rainy season. Would Hawaii have monsoons? Why/Why not?

measures wind direction Measuring Wind Anemometers Wind Vanes measures wind direction measures wind speed