1. KQ A2: What is the pattern of air movement in the troposphere and how does it influence regional climates and local weather? What methods are employed to forecast weather patterns?
Tristan Orozco
Britney Carreras
Ryan Fernandez
Brianna Legra
Alicia Camaliche

2. Variances of Global Insolation
Global insolation - the Earth’s ability to trap heat, the longer the distance from the sun to the Earth’s surface, the more insolation/heat is lost
The amount of insolation at the Earth’s surface varies according to latitude: most heat is received at the Tropics and less at the Poles
What affects insolation:
Surface area - Greater surface area at the Poles than the Tropics so more insolation is lost
Position of the Sun - the Sun directly hits the Tropics versus the Poles, so the Poles barely get any insolation
Albedo - Snow and ice covered Poles reflect the Sun’s heat/insolation

3. Define and explain the significance of regions of high and low pressure
A Explain and reference how the Earth’s temperature and pressure distribution causes seasonal variations

4. High and Low Pressure
We can measure the density of the air through atmospheric pressure. The speed of wind is controlled by pressure gradient force. Pressure gradient force can be described as the rate of pressure change (pressure gradient) over space.
Low- pressure:
Associated with bad weather, cloudy, rainy, and snowy
Air rises up
Wind blows towards the low pressure and air rises in the atmosphere where they meet
As air rises the water vapor within it condenses forming clouds and precipitation
Winds of a low pressure system swirl counterclockwise north of the equator and clockwise south of the equator (cyclonic flow)
Labeled with L
High- Pressure
Associated with fair weather
High pressure system has a higher pressure at its center than the areas around it
Winds blow away from high pressure
Winds swirl in the opposite direction, clockwise north of the equator and counterclockwise south of the equator (called anticyclonic flow)
Air is moving away from high-pressure center at the surface so air from above must sink
Labeled H

5. H- Dry sinking air
L- moist air rising
Surface winds blow clockwise around a high pressure and diverge.
Surface winds blow counterclockwise around a low pressure and converge.

6. Pressure, Temperature, and Density
When molecules move faster, they bump into each other harder and more often (when the temperature of air is increase). Warm air molecules have more energy, so they move faster and create more pressure. cold air has less energy and therefore exerts less pressure on its surroundings.
The denser the air is, the more molecules there are in that given space.
The denser the air, the more collisions there are between molecules because there is less room for them to avoid running into each other, so we get more air pressure.
So density, temperature and pressure work together to change the conditions of the air. When heat is added, air temperature and pressure both increase. And, when the density of air changes, the pressure (and sometimes the temperature) does as well.

7. Global wind systems
“Global wind systems” refers to the world wide wind systems that carry on weather and determine climates in certain areas
Global wind systems encompasses three major components:
Hadley Cells
Wind Belts
Coriolis effect

8. Hadley Cells
As sunlight hits the earth, the ground or water is heated, and the air above this ground/water is heated as well
The equator receives large amounts of sunlight, making it very warm
With all the air leaving the area, a low pressure system is created at the equator
As the air rises, it flows further away from the equator, creating a cycle

9. Wind belts
Global “wind belts” simply refers to the 3 wind “belts” that wrap around the earth in each hemisphere at certain latitudes
0-30 Tropical Easterlies (Trade Winds)
30-60 Prevailing Westerlies (Westerlies)
60-90 Polar Easterlies

10. Coriolis effect
Coriolis force is a force that acts upon objects relative to a rotating “frame”
The frame, in this instance, is the Earth
As the earth rotates, Coriolis force is created
As a result, objects (including air) in motion on the earth deflect to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere
Winds are also affected by this, which os why hurricanes and spiraling wind patterns flow in opposite directions in the northern and southern hemispheres

11. Local Wind systems
Local wind systems are very similar to their global counterparts
Smaller hadley cells occur on local levels, with the ground being heated and air rising, as usual
This rising and falling creates high and low pressure areas, and as such, creates weather (low pressure bad weather, high pressure good weather)

12. IV. The effects of land relief and ocean currents.

13. Mountains Climate can be affected by mountains
Mountains receive more rainfall than low lying areas due to forced air over the higher ground
The air cools and causes moist air to condense and fall as rain
The higher above sea level an area is, the colder it will be
As altitude increases, air becomes thinner and less able to absorb/retain heat
This is why snow is sometimes found year round in certain places such as Colorado

14. Distance from sea Sea affects the climate of an area
Coastal areas are cooler/wetter than inland areas
Clouds form when warm air from the inland meets cool air from the sea
This changes the temperature of continents
For example: In the summer it is hot and dry as moisture evaporates from the sea before it reaches land

15. Ocean currents
Ocean currents are movements of ocean water that permanently flow because of earth's rotation, wind, temperature and salinity
ocean currents regulate global climate by transporting warm water and precipitation to the poles from the equator and cold water from the poles to the equator.
This manages temperatures of
these climates and can be relied on
because the currents are permanent

16. Ocean currents cont.
Another effect of ocean currents is that they bring rain to land
winds that blow over warm currents become warm and are then able to hold moisture and carry that to inner lands until precipitating
This causes seasonal rains like monsoons and regulate the water cycle