Lesson 9: Wind Circulation Patterns
February 26, 2024
Review:
- Grades in Brightspace
- Water Cycle
- Humidity and Precipitation
- Advection Fog, Redwood Trees and Climate Change
- Any findings? Let me know after class.
Presentation:
- Wind Drivers
- Air Pressure Gradient
- Air moving from High to Low Pressure
- Temperature Gradient
- Uneven heating of the Earth’s surface
- Land surface warms during the day
- Warm air moves vertically and horizontally toward Low pressure
- Adjacent air pressure increases (over sea in the graphic below)
- New gradient forms (and air over the sea surface moves toward land)
- Air Pressure Gradient
- Global Wind Patterns
- Hadley Cells
- Core engine of global circulation
- Moving tropical heat poleward
- ITCZ – InterTropical Convergence Zone
- Upward air creates Low Pressure
- Surface winds are calm, aka the “Doldrums”
- Subtropical high-pressure
- Downward air creates High Pressure Belts
- Coriolis Force
- Grows stronger poleward
- Clockwise in Northern Hemisphere
- Counter-clockwise in Southern Hemisphere
- Seasonal Shifts – North in July, South in January
- Hadley Cells
Activity:
- Watch Asian Monsoon (NASA, 03:48)
- Watch segment on 2022 Flooding in Pakistan (PBS News, 08:54)
Assignment:
- Read this primer on Monsoons (NCAR)
- Read how Climate Change may impact Monsoons (NYTimes, shared)
- Read Chapter 5
- Tell me about your Redwoods + Fog + Climate Change source, if any