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WS4: Air Movement Unit 6
The Atmosphere
Lesson 1.4– Air Movement
Lesson 1.4: Matching
Match each definition with the correct term.
Definitions
Terms
1. _____ wind that blows from a mountain to a valley during the night
a. Chinook winds
2. _____ wind that blows from land to sea
(Foehn winds)
3. _____ Hot, dry wind that blows from the interior of California to the Pacific Ocean
b. high pressure zone
4. _____ wind that is a larger scale version of a land or sea breeze
c. jet stream
5. _____ wind that blows from sea to land
d. land breeze
6. _____ wind that blows where air is forced up over a mountain range
e. low pressure zone
7. _____ wind that blows from a valley to a mountain during the day
f.
8. _____ region where relatively cool, dense air is sinking to the surface
g. mountain breeze
9. _____ fast-flowing “river” of air at the top of the troposphere where air masses
h. polar front
with very different temperatures and humidities move past each other
monsoon
i.
rain shadow
10. _____ region where relatively warm, light air is rising above the surface
j.
Santa Ana winds
11. _____ boundary between cold continental air and warmer subtropical air that
k. sea breeze
occurs at about 50 °N and 50 °S latitude
l.
valley breeze
12. _____ location on the leeward side of a mountain range where very little rain falls
due to dry descending air
Lesson 1.4: Fill in the Blank
Fill in the blank with the appropriate term.
1. Warm air rising creates a(n) _________________________________ pressure zone on the ground.
2. The horizontal flow of air through the troposphere is called __________________________________.
3. A desert wind called a(n) ____________________________________ forms in the downdrafts at the front of a
thunderstorm.
4. Global winds deflect to the east or west because of the ______________________________________ effect.
5. The global winds that blow across most of the continental U.S. are called ______________________________________.
6. Rain is common in a(n) ____________________________________ pressure region.
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Unit 6/The Atmosphere
WS4: Air Movement Unit 6
The Atmosphere
Lesson 1.4: Multiple Choice
Circle the letter of the correct choice. Some questions may have more than one answer.
1. Where cool air descends to the ground there is a
a. high-pressure zone.
b. Foehn wind.
c. valley breeze.
d. polar front.
2. Winds blow when air flows from areas of higher to lower
a. elevation.
b. pressure.
c. temperature.
d. altitude.
3. When warm air cools it
a. becomes less dense.
b. becomes denser.
c. can hold more moisture.
4. Land and sea breezes
a. may occur daily and seasonally.
b. are types of local winds.
c. occur because of differences in specific heat.
5. India is well known for its local winds called
a. katabatic winds.
b. monsoon winds.
c. Chinook winds.
d. Santa Ana winds.
6. A rainshadow occurs
a. on the leeward size of a mountain.
b. where moist air sinks to the ground.
c. in a low-pressure zone.
d. all of the above
7. In global atmospheric circulation
a. warm air sinks at the equator.
b. warm air flows north from the equator.
c. warm air flows south from the equator.
Lesson 1.4: True or False
Write true if the statement is true or false if the statement is false. If the statement is false, write the word or
phrase that would make the statement true.
1. ______ | _____________________________ Convection in the atmosphere creates Earth’s weather.
2. ______ | _____________________________ Water vapor condenses out of air when it is heated.
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Unit 6/The Atmosphere
WS4: Air Movement Unit 6
The Atmosphere
3. ______ | _____________________________ Water heats up and cools down more slowly than land.
4. ______ | _____________________________ Water has a very low specific heat.
5. ______ | _____________________________ Katabatic winds form over high plateaus.
6. ______ | _____________________________ Chinook winds bring moisture to the leeward side of a mountain range.
7. ______ | _____________________________ Santa Ana winds often spread wildfires in Southern California.
8. ______ | _____________________________ A Hadley cell forms between 30 and 60 degrees north latitude.
Lesson 1.4: Critical Reading
Read this passage based on the text and answer the questions that follow.
Atmospheric Circulation and Global Winds
Because more solar energy strikes the equator, the air over the equator is warmer than elsewhere on the
planet. Warm air has low density, so it rises and forms a low pressure zone. At the top of the troposphere, half
of the warm air moves toward the north pole and half toward the south pole along the top of the troposphere.
At about 30 degrees north latitude, the air from the equator meets air flowing toward the equator from higher
latitudes and descends to the ground, creating a high pressure zone. Once on the ground, the air returns to the
equator. These air movements form a convection cell, called a Hadley cell, which is found between 0 and 30
degrees north latitude. A similar Hadley cell is also found between 0 and 30 degrees south latitude, except the
air flows in the opposite directions.
In addition to Hadley cells, there are two other major convection cells in each hemisphere. A Ferrell cell is
located between 30 and about 60 degrees north or south latitude. In the Northern Hemisphere, air in this cell
moves from north to south; it moves in the opposite direction in the Southern Hemisphere. A polar cell is
located between about 60 and 90 degrees north or south latitude. In the Northern Hemisphere, the air in this
cell moves from south to north and descends at the north pole. It moves in the opposite direction in the
Southern Hemisphere and descends at the south pole.
Global circulation cells cause global wind belts. Global wind belts are enormous. They occur because of the
flowing air at the bottom of the major circulation cells. In both hemispheres, the global wind belts are the trade
winds, westerlies, and polar easterlies. In the Northern Hemisphere, the trade winds flow from northeast to
southwest at the bottom of the Hadley cell; the westerlies blow from southwest to northeast at the bottom of
the Ferrell cell; and the polar easterlies blow from northeast to southwest at the bottom of the polar cell. The
winds blow in the opposite directions in the Southern Hemisphere. The winds do not blow due north or south
because of the Coriolis effect. It deflects winds to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the
Southern Hemisphere.
Questions about the Passage
1. Identify and briefly describe the three major convection cells in the Northern Hemisphere.
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Unit 6/The Atmosphere
WS4: Air Movement Unit 6
The Atmosphere
2. Identify and describe the three global wind belts in the Northern Hemisphere.
3. Relate the wind belts in question 2 to the convection cells in question 1.
Lesson 1.4: Critical Writing
Thoroughly respond to the prompt below. Use appropriate academic vocabulary and clear and complete
sentences.
Prompt: What are the main principles that control how the atmosphere circulates?
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