Question | Answer |
What causes wind and air to move? | differences in air pressure |
What causes most differences in air pressure? | the unequal heating of the atmosphere |
As air becomes less dense, what happens to the air pressure? | it decreases |
What happens to the air above a less-heated area? | it is cooler and denser |
When cool, dense air with a higher pressure flows underneath the warm, less dense air what happens? | it forces the warm air to rise |
What 2 things are winds described by? | their direction & speed |
How is wind direction determined? | by a wind vane |
Which way does a south wind blow? | from the south towards the north |
Which way does a north wind blow? | from the north towards the south |
What causes local and global winds? | the unequal heating of Earth's surface |
When do local winds form? | only when large-scale winds are weak |
What causes a sea breeze? | cool air blowing inland from over the water that moves underneath the warm air |
During the day, as the land heats up faster than the water, what happens to the air? | the air over the land becomes warmer than the air over the water |
At night, as the land cools down faster than the water, what happens to the air? | the air over the land becomes cooler than the air over the water |
What type of breeze occurs when warm land air rises and cooler water air moves beneath the lands warm air? | sea breeze |
What type of breeze occurs when warm water air rises and cooler land air moves beneath the waters warm air? | land breeze |
What type of winds occur over a small area? | local winds |
What type of winds occur over a large area? | global winds |
What do temperature differences between the equator and the poles produce? | giant convection currents in the atmosphere |
When warm air rises at the equator, what happens to the air at the poles? | the cold air sinks |
Because of global convection currents, what happens to air pressure near the equator? | lower air pressure |
Because of global convection currents, what happens to air pressure near the poles? | higher air pressure |