Global Winds Air Masses Global Winds Factors Affecting
Global Winds & Air Masses
Global Winds Factors Affecting Wind: ●Caused by an uneven heating of earth’s surface (pressure gradient) ● Land heats up faster and cools down faster than water. ●Coriolis ● Effect describes how Earth’s rotation affects moving objects. ●Friction ● with other air molecules and the earth’s surface
Global Winds ● Uneven heating of earth’s surface
Global Winds ● Coriolis Effect ● ● In the Northern Hemisphere, all free-moving objects or fluids, including the wind, are deflected to the right of their path of motion. In the Southern Hemisphere, they are deflected to the left. ● http: //www. classzone. com/books/earth_science/ter c/content/visualizations/es 1904 page 01. cfm ? chapter_no=visualization
Global Winds
Global Winds ● ● 0 -30 degrees north and south of the equator- trade winds 30 -60 degrees north and south of the equator- westerlies 60 -90 degrees north and south of the equator – polar easterlies Name for the direction from which they come.
Surface Winds
Air Masses Large areas (blobs) of air that have the same weather, temperatures and humidity (moisture) ● Air Mass Types - Named for where they come FROM ● Weather changes occur with changes in air masses as they move across and area ●
Characteristic #1 - Moisture Two types of air masses form over land or the water. ● Land - Called “Continental” (DRY) ● Water - Called “Maritime” (WET)
Characteristic #2 - Temperature ● ● The air masses that are in the NORTH are COLD. The air masses that are in the SOUTH are WARM. 1. 2. COLD = POLAR WARM = TROPICAL
TYPES of Air Masses ● ● maritime Tropical (m. T)- warm & humid air maritime Polar (m. P)- cold & humid air continental Tropical (c. T)- hot & dry air continental Polar (c. P)- cold & dry air
AIR MASSES
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