Winds of the Earth

Folding the Paper Lengthwise, fold the paper into three columns. Column 1 label “Questions,” Column 2 label “Answers,” and Column 3 label “Illustrations.” Widthwise, fold the paper into four rows. Fold your paper in half and then fold it in half once more. You should now have 3 columns and 4 rows, a total of 12 sections.

Questions for Row 1-Wind 1. How is wind created? 2. What is a pressure gradient? 3. What determines the speed of the wind? 4. What determines the direction of the wind?

Questions for Row 2- Breezes 5. During daytime at the beach, would air pressure be higher over the land or over the water? Explain. 6. What must be the atmospheric conditions to create a sea breeze? What time of day would this most likely occur and why? 7. What must be the atmospheric conditions to create a land breeze? What time of day would this most likely occur and why?

Questions for Row 3- Monsoons 8. What is a monsoon? 9. Monsoons are part of the normal climate patterns for India. Why? 10. What do monsoons and sea breezes have in common? What makes them different?

Questions for Row 4-Global winds 11. The air at the poles has the highest pressures. Why? 12. The air near the equator has the lowest pressures. Why? 13. Air flows from high to low pressure. Why then does air from the poles not flow directly to the equator? What causes its path to change? 14. What are the two global prevailing winds that influence the weather and climate of the U.S.?