Water and Wind in Earth’s Atmosphere

Winds What causes this?

What is Wind? Wind is the horizontal movement of air from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure. Larger difference in pressure = stronger wind Differences in air pressure are caused by unequal heating in the atmosphere. As cooler, denser air sinks, warm, less dense air is forced to rise.

Measuring Wind Winds are described by their direction and speed: A wind vane determines wind direction. An anemometer measures wind speed. The name of the wind tells you the direction it is blowing from a west wind blows from the west toward the east.

Local Winds Local winds are winds that blow over short distances and are caused by the unequal heating of Earth’s surface within a small area. A sea breeze is a local wind that blows from a lake or ocean toward land Since land is heated faster than a body of water, the air above the land gets warmer and rises, allowing cooler air from the ocean to move underneath the warm air.

Land Breeze A land breeze is a flow of air from land toward a body of water. At night, since land cools faster than water, the air over land becomes cooler than the air over water. The wind blows toward the ocean.

Global Winds Global winds are winds that blow steadily in specific directions over long distances. Unlike local winds, global winds occur over large areas. Global winds generally blow from the poles toward the equator….why?

Humidity Humidity: how much H2O vapor is in the air. What can hold more water? warm or cold air? Relative humidity: the percentage of water vapor in the air compared to the maximum amount of water vapor the air can hold at a given temperature. More relative humidity = ________________ ? Psychrometer: device used to measure relative humidity, by comparing a “dry” temperature and a “wet” temperature.

Cloud Formation Clouds form when H2O vapor condenses into liquid water or ice crystals. 2 conditions needed: 1. cooling of the air 2. particles in the air for H2O vapor to condense around

Clouds are classified by: Shape Cumulus – puffy Cirrus – thin, wispy Stratus – flat, layered B. Altitude/weather 1. Cirro – high 2. Alto – mid-level 3. Nimbo – rain producing

Guess the Clouds!