APES: Wind Webquest
Name: ____________________ Date: ___________
Forces and Wind: Online Meteorology Guide
Visit the following website: http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/guides/mtr/fw/home.rxml
From opening paragraph (question 1):
1. What is air pressure?
Click on “pressure”(questions 2-6)
2. “If the number of air molecules above a surface increases, there are more molecules to exert a force on
that surface and consequently, the pressure ________________ (increases or decreases)?
3. What device is used to measure atmospheric pressure?
4. What is the average pressure at sea level (in millibars)?
Go back and click on “Pressure Gradient Force” (questions 7-9)
5. The pressure gradient results in a net force that is directed from _____ to _____ pressure and this force is
called the "pressure gradient force".
6. Draw an arrow showing the direction of force:
7. What is responsible for triggering the initial movement of air?
Go back and click on “Coriolis Force” (questions 10-16).
8. What causes the “Coriolis Force”?
11. Draw arrow to show the pathway of deflected wind in the diagram below. Fill in the statements to the right.
12. Slowly blowing winds will be deflected only a _______ (small or large) amount.
13. Winds blowing closer to the poles will be deflected _______ (more or less) than winds at the same speed
closer to the equator.
14. What is the influence of the Coriolis force right at the equator?
15. Watch the “Real Life” Example Movie. Record your observations:
END OF ONLINE TUTORIAL
Directions: Refer to page 94
1.Using the diagrams in your book draw in the arrows
representing the various trade winds and their direction
2.Label the trade wind names (selecting from the following
Northeast trades, Southeast trades, Westerlies, Polar Easterlies).
3.Label the following on the diagram below as well- Equatorial
forests, temperate forests, hot deserts, cold deserts (Polar
Regions).
4.Why do you think there is a lot of rain at the equator and
between 30 and 60 degrees latitude, and not in other latitudes?
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5.Why to you think that the major desert regions of the world are
localized near 30 degrees North and 30 degrees south latitude?
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6.What is the approximate latitude of Mountain View, and what is the prevailing wind direction in Mountain View or North
America in general?
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Use the diagram to the right to complete the following
7.Draw in the Hadley (convection cells) like the diagram in your
textbook. You only need to do one side of the globe. Use red arrows to
indicate warm, rising air, and use blue arrows to indicate cooler, sinking
air. Yes you need to actually color this!!!
8.Label areas of High and Low pressure (sinking air is compressing, thus
higher pressure, while rising air is lower pressure).
9.Label the appropriate latitudes on the right side of the globe.
10. Label the direction the Earth is rotating in the diagram.
11. What latitudes on earth would you expect to find rain forests and
why? ______________________________________________________
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