1.1.1 Wind And Pressure

Question 1

What are winds?

Answer 1

The wind is the movement of air on a large scale. The air is made up of gases

Question 2

What causes winds?

Answer 2

Difference in air pressure cause winds.

Question 3

What causes difference in air pressure?

Answer 3

• Like with convection currents, different temperatures cause movement.
• The equator is warmer than the North Pole or the South Pole.
• This difference causes different air pressures.

Question 4

How does air pressure affect winds?

Answer 4

Winds move from high-pressure areas of the Earth to lower-pressure areas of the Earth.

Question 5

What are global atmospheric circulation cells?

Answer 5

-Winds combine to help create global atmospheric circulation cells.
-Global atmospheric circulation cells are made up of:
—>Cool sinking air - forms high-pressure belts of wind.
—>Warm rising air - forms low-pressure belts of wind.
-The Northern hemisphere has 3 global atmospheric circulation cells and the Southern hemisphere has 3 global atmospheric circulation cells.
-These cells are called the Hadley, Ferrel, and Polar cells.

Question 6

What is surface winds?

Answer 6

At 30° north and south, the air from the equator cools and falls. When the cool air reaches the Earth’s surface, surface winds blow the cool air either towards the equator, or away from the equator towards the Poles.

Question 7

What are trade winds? (Type of Surface wind)

Answer 7

-Trade winds are surface winds that blow from 30° north or 30° south back towards the equator.
—> In the southern hemisphere, trade winds will blow from south-east to north-west until they reach the equator.
—> In the northern hemisphere, trade winds blow from north-east to south-west until they reach the equator.
-Trade winds from the northern & southern hemisphere meet at the equator, where they are heated and the cycle begins again.

Question 8

What are westerlies? (Type of surface winds)

Answer 8

-Westerlies are surface winds that blow from 30° north towards the North Pole or from 30° south out towards the South Pole.
—> In the southern hemisphere, westerlies blow from north-west to south-east until they reach the South Pole.
—> In the northern hemisphere, westerlies blow from south-west to north-east until they reach the North Pole.