1. Aim: How can we explain the connection between planetary wind, pressure, and moisture belts and surface ocean currents?

2. Page 14

3. Moisture level for each latitude:
DRY
DRY
90o N ________
60o N ________
30o N ________
90o S _________
60o S ________
30o S _________
WET
WET
DRY
DRY
WET
0o _______________

4. Pressure Belts Humidity , Air Pressure
Moisture Belts can also give us information about air pressure.
Using your knowledge of the relationship between pressure and humidity, fill in the proper pressure for each latitude:
Humidity , Air Pressure

5. Pressure for each latitude:
90o N ________
60o N ________
30o N ________
HIGH
90o S _________
60o S ________
30o S _________
HIGH
LOW
LOW
HIGH
HIGH
LOW
0o _______________

6. HIGH
90o:
LOW
60o:
HIGH
30o:
LOW
0o:
HIGH
30o:
LOW
60o:
90o:
HIGH

10. What does indicate? The Jet Stream
Jet Streams are bands of rapidly (up to 500 km/hr) moving air at the top of the troposphere.
They are an important influence on the formation and direction of weather pattern movement in mid-latitude regions like the U.S.

11. The Polar Front Jet Stream
What is the at 60o N and S?
The Polar Front Jet Stream

12. The Subtropical Jet Stream
What is the at 30o N and S?
The Subtropical Jet Stream

13. Which Jet Stream will effect our weather more?
The Polar Front Jet Stream

18. Ocean Currents
Caused by prevailing wind belts blowing over the oceans and transferring energy to the water.
Direction of these currents is affected by the direction of the planetary winds.

19. Page 4

20. Page 14

21. Looking at page 14 and page 4…
Prevailing winds in the N. Hemisphere rotate clockwise. Currents in the N. Hemisphere rotate clockwise.
Prevailing winds in the S. Hemisphere rotate counter-clockwise. Currents in the S. Hemisphere rotate counter-clockwise.

22. Coincidence? NO! The rotation of the Earth causes winds to bend –
The FRICTION between the air and the water causes ocean currents to move in the same direction as the wind.

23. The Coriolis Effect
The deflection of straight line motion over large distance (many degrees of latitude)
Occurs because the Earth is rotating at different speeds over the Earth
Fastest at the Equator and slower as you move towards the poles

25. Long Range Missiles
The military must account for the Coriolis force

26. GLOBAL AREAS OF HIGH (DIVERGENCE) AND LOW (CONVERGENCE) PRESSURE
NON-ROTATING EARTH
ROTATING EARTH
Low pressure
Low pressure
GLOBAL AREAS OF HIGH (DIVERGENCE) AND LOW (CONVERGENCE) PRESSURE

28. On Ocean Currents….
1. Which surface ocean current transports warm water to higher latitudes? (A) Gulf Stream (B) Labrador Current (C) Falkland Current (D) West Wind Drift

29. 2. Which ocean current flows northeast along the eastern coast of North America?
Gulf Stream
California
North Equatorial
Labrador

30. 3. Which two ocean currents are both warm currents that primarily flow away from the equator?
Brazil Current and Agulhas Current
Guinea Current and Labrador Current
Alaska Current and Falkland Current
Canaries Current and Gulf Stream Current

31. 4. Warm water from tropical oceans is carried to northern Europe by the Gulf Stream and the
North Atlantic Current
Alaska Current
Canaries Current
Brazil Current

32. 5. The California Ocean Current, which flows along the west coast of North America is a
cool current, flowing south
cool current, flowing north
warm current, flowing north
warm current, flowing south