Chapter 14 Section 3 Air Movement & Wind

Wind: the movement of air caused by differences in air pressure.

Coriolis effect: the curving of the path of a moving object from an otherwise straight path due to Earth’s rotation.

Differences in air pressure causes wind.

Warm air rises at the equator & cold air sinks at the poles causes differences in air pressure around Earth.

Air moves in patterns of high & low pressure that are part of convection cells.

In the Northern Hemisphere, winds traveling north curve to the east because of the Coriolis effect.

Global winds that blow from west to east are called westerlies.

Global winds that blow almost to the equator from 30 degree latitude are called trade winds.

A wind belt that carries cold arctic air over the United States is called a(n) polar easterly.

Local winds are affected by local geographic features.

Mountains & valley breezes are caused by differences in temperature & elevation.