TEK 8.10 Earth and Space The student knows that climatic interactions exist among Earth, ocean, and weather systems.
Vocabulary Gulf Stream Front Convection current Weather Climate Land breeze Sea breeze El Nino High pressure system Low pressure system Air mass Density
8.10 Student Expectations A) Recognize that the Sun provides the energy that drives convection within the atmosphere and oceans, producing winds and ocean currents. B) Identify how global patterns of atmospheric movement influence local weather using weather maps that show high and low pressures and fronts. C) Identify the role of the oceans in the formation of weather systems such as hurricanes.
Weather It describes the condition of the air at a particular time and place. Weather also tells how the air moves (wind) and describes anything it might be carrying such as rain, snow or clouds. Thunder, lightning, rainbows, haze and other special events are all part of weather.
Climate It describes the average weather conditions in a certain place or during a certain season. Weather may change from day to day, but climate changes only over hundreds or thousands of years.
Air Masses -a large body of air that has a certain temperature and amount of moisture. -2 main types of air masses 1. Maritime 2. Continental
Maritime Air Mass -air mass formed over an ocean Maritime Tropical Maritime Polar Forms over the ocean near the equator Made of warm, moist air. Forms over the ocean north of the U.S. Made of cool, moist air
Continental Air Mass -air masses formed over land Continental Tropical Continental Polar aka Continetal Artic made of hot dry air forms over Mexico moves north in the summer made of cold, dry air Forms in Canada Moves south into the United States in the winter
Weather Fronts -an area where two masses with different temperatures and different densities collide, but do not mix. types of fronts 1. Cold Front 2. Warm Front 3.Stationary Front
Cold Front -the leading edge of a cooler mass of air, replacing (at ground level) a warmer mass of air. -Cool air mass is more dense (more mass in given space) -moves under warm, less dense, air (less dense) as it rises and creates heavy clouds -bring violent storms that last a short period of time.
Cold Front
Warm Front -leading edge of a warm air mass moving in to replace a cold air mass. -Warm air pushes cold air and gradually rises over cold air mass creating small clouds. -bring light/mellow rain and showers that can last for several days.
Warm Front
Stationary Front -A stationary front forms when a cold front or warm front stops moving. -This happens when two masses of air are pushing against each other but neither is powerful enough to move the other. --brings many days of continuous precipitation
Stationary Front
Watch This!! Weather Fronts and Air Masses Study Jamz
Air Pressure -the weight of the air pressing down on the Earth, the ocean and on the air below
High Pressure Weather System -A high pressure system is a whirling mass of cool, dry air that generally brings fair weather and light winds. -winds spiral out of a high-pressure center in a clockwise rotation in the Northern Hemisphere. These bring sunny skies. A high pressure system is represented as a big, blue H. - > High H for Happy -winds move clockwise
High Pressure Weather System
Low Pressure System A low pressure system is a whirling mass of warm, moist air that generally brings stormy weather with strong winds. -winds spiral into a low-pressure center in a counterclockwise rotation in the Northern Hemisphere. A low pressure system is represented as a big, red L. - Low -Lousy Weather -Counter clock is bad
Low Pressure Weather System
Weather Map Symbols -symbols used to represent air pressure
Watch This Air Pressure Systems/Coriolis Effect
Watch this Pressure Systems
Lets put it all together
Pre-AP Weather Report Project You will research the different weather symbols found on a weather map on the following slide and create a script identifying all weather symbols, location, and the type of weather that should be expected. This should be written in a scripted format as if you were the weather reporter on live tv. You will turn in 2 papers -Organized Research of weather symbols Must include following: -Describe/Explain following symbols: Cold Fronts, Warm Fronts, Stationary Fronts, High Pressure Systems, Low Pressure Systems -25 points -Draw the Symbol and a diagram for each showing the movement of the air masses at the specific fronts and the movement of air at each pressure system (color coding in red and blue are very important here)- 25 points -Explain the type of weather associated with each one of the weather symbols being researched. (sunny, thunderstorms, rainy/light showers, etc.) -25 points -Weather Report Script- identify all weather symbols, locations, and the type of weather that should be expected. -25 points
Convection Current -the transfer of heat in a gas or fluid through currents -created by warm less dense water/air rising and cold more dense water/air dropping. The Sun drives all weather activity and currents because of its uneven heating of the Earth!!!
Ocean Currents Warm water near equator rises towards the poles, and water near poles travels towards equator.
Ocean Currents
Watch this Ocean Currents and Convections Current
Convection Current -the transfer of heat in a gas or fluid through currents -created by warm less dense water/air rising and cold more dense water/air dropping. The Sun drives all weather activity and currents because of its uneven heating of the Earth!!!
Coriolis Effect A natural Phenomena that appears to deflect items, such as wind, moving on or above the earth's surface based on the rotation of the earth.
Watch This Air Pressure Systems GLobal Winds Coriolis and Global Winds
Wind Patterns and Movement Wind blows from areas of high pressure toward areas of low pressure. If the high pressure area is very close to the low pressure area, or if the pressure difference is very great, the wind can blow very fast. = Jet Streams
Trade Winds encounters the coriolis effect caused by the rotation of the Earth. This force causes the winds in the Northern Hemisphere to move from the east towards the west below the subtropical high, and from the west towards the east above the subtropical high.
Westerlies Above the subtropical highs in the Northern Hemisphere, and below the subtropical highs in the Southern Hemisphere, winds blow from the west towards the east. These winds are thus called westerly winds, after the direction from where the winds come.
Polar Easterlies The subpolar lows generally cause the winds above 60 ° latitude to move from the east towards the west. We call these winds the polar easterlies.
Formation of a Hurricane Hurricanes 101
5 Steps to Make a Hurricane
El Nino
El Nino El Nino: water in the Pacific Ocean near the equator gets hotter than usual and affects the atmosphere and weather around the world. Occurs every 3-8 years Cause of El Nino is unknown
Effects of El Nino El Nino can cause catastrophic events in places not common to experience them. Ex: Where one place has excessive rain, hurricanes, somewhere on opposite side of globe is experiencing a drought/dry weather. Usually, El Niño brings more rain and higher temperatures in U.S. El Niño may also bring warmer than normal winter temperatures to the eastern part of the United States. Drought in Indonesia and Australia. El Nino causes nutrient rich cold water to stay further below surface causing fish to travel further, causing a shortage of fishing.
La Nina La Nina: water in the Pacific Ocean near the equator gets colder than usual and affects the atmosphere and weather around the world. Sometimes follows El Nino
National Geographic El Nino El Nino and La Nina National Geographic El Nino
Western Europe
Gulf Stream Western Europe
Gulf Stream
3. Name type of front that is located in the Northern U. S. 4 3. Name type of front that is located in the Northern U.S. 4. What type of weather is associated with that type of pressure system nearest El Paso?
5.