1. EQ: What are Global Winds?
Topic: Winds
EQ: What are Global Winds?

2. What Causes Winds? Wind occurs because air is fluid.
Fluids usually move from high pressure to low pressure.
Convection Currents cause winds:
Globally
Locally

3. What are Global Winds?
Global Winds blow steadily from specific directions over long distances.
They are formed by convection currents due to the unequal heating of the Earth’s surface.
3 Global Wind Belts:
1. Trade Winds
2. Prevailing Westerlies
3. Polar Easterlies

4. 3 Global Wind Belts: West East 1) Trade Winds
Blow EAST to WEST in the tropical region
Moves warm air
Help to form Hurricanes.
West
East

5. 2) Prevailing Westerlies
Blow west to east in the temperate region
Hurricanes (formed by trade winds) are often turned by the westerlies once they enter the temperate zone.
Weather systems in the US move from west to east.
West
East

6. 3) Polar Winds-
Blows from the northeast to the west in the polar region
Moves cold air from the pole to the west.
The very cold air we feel comes from the Polar Region.
West
East

7. What is the Jet Stream?
The Jet Stream is a fast-moving ribbon of air that moves from west to east in the Northern Hemisphere
It flows about 10 miles above Earth’s surface from 80 to 140 miles per hour.
air masses and weather systems in its path are moved by the fast moving air.
The polar jet stream can bring down cold weather conditions from the north.
The subtropical jet stream can bring warm tropical conditions from the south.

8. Jet Stream

9. The Jet Stream
See the link on my website under Mrs. Ryan’s Science Links titled “ The Jet Stream”.

10. Stop Here.

11. What is the Coriolis Effect?
Since Earth rotates, global winds do not follow a straight path
The Earth rotates west to east underneath the winds, making the winds appears as though they have curved
This is called the Coriolis effect – the way Earth’s rotation makes wind curve
Northern hemisphere winds curve to the right

12. Coriolis Effect
***The “Coriolis Effect” link is posted on my website under Mrs. Ryan’s Science links.

13. Draw the picture below on your next blank page.
Label the Page “Global Wind Belts”
Write the name of each wind belt into the correct zone.

14. Convection Currents Wind moves across the ground from area of high
Pressure to areas of low pressure.
Convection Currents
Warm Air Rises
Creates Low Pressure
Cold Air Sinks
Creates high Pressure

15. Summary
If you have completed copying the notes, then re-read your notes and the EQ and write a 5 sentence summary. Make sure one of your sentences answers the EQ.