How Air Moves / Study Guide

How Air Moves / Study Guide

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What is Wind

Air in different places can have different temperatures. When air is warm, the particles in the air are spaced farther apart, making it lighter and causing it to rise. Areas of warm air create less air pressure because there is less air pushing down. When air is cold, the particles are packed closer together, making it heavier and causing it to fall. Areas of cold air cause more air pressure because there is more air pushing down.

The different properties of cold air and warm air cause air to move in the atmosphere and near Earth's surface. Wind is the movement of air across Earth's surface. Wind occurs when air moves from an area of high air pressure to an area of low pressure.

Multiple Choice

Which group of balls represents cool air?

Multiple Choice

Cool air is ________ so it _______, but warm air is _______, so it _______.

• lighter, rises, heavier, sinks

• heavier, sinks, lighter, rises

Multiple Choice

It is a very hot day outside, and Gina wants to cool down. Use what you know about the properties of air to select the area that would have the coolest temperature in Gina's house. (hover over the graphic at left to enlarge the image)

• Location A

• Location B

• Location C

• Location D

Wind blows faster when there are fewer obstacles in its way. For example, wind can blow very quickly over the ocean because the ocean is flat and wide.

Wind blowing over land with trees and mountains cannot blow as quickly because there are objects that block it path. The trees and rugged mountains act like barriers that slow wind's speed.

Wind can also travel more quickly at higher altitudes in the atmosphere because there are no obstacles. High in the atmosphere there is nothing to block wind's path.

Multiple Select

Select those landscapes that would allow wind to blow quickly without obstruction.

Multiple Select

Select those landscapes with obstructions, that would not allow wind to blow quickly.

Multiple Choice

Ryan's house is in an open plain in Nebraska. His father has planted a line of trees on three sides of their house. Thinking about wind, why might Ryan's dad have done this?

• The trees will have nothing to do with the wind.

• The trees create an obstacle to slow down the wind.

• The trees will stop the wind from forming.

• Wind cannot pass through trees.

Convection currents occur when cool air and warm air move in a circular path. A convection current is the rising and sinking of gases, liquids, or solids in a circular path.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following would best represent a convection current?

Multiple Choice

Which conditions would be favorable to create a convection current?

• two masses of cold air near each other

• two masses of air at the same temperature next to each other

• a mass of cold air near a mass of warm air

• two masses of warm air near each other

Convection Current

Rising and sinking of gases, liquids, or solids in a circular path.

Multiple Choice

It is daytime near the ocean. Which way would you expect the sea breeze to be blowing?

Multiple Choice

A sea breeze is an example of a __________.

• electric current

• atmosphere

• convection current

• water current

Multiple Choice

After the day ends, the ocean and the land begin to cool. Land cools faster than water. What do you think will happen to the wind near the ocean and coast?

• It will start blowing towards the ocean.

• It will stay the same.

• It will blow towards the land more quickly.

Land Breeze

At night the land and ocean begin to cool, but land cools more quickly than water. This forms a land breeze where cooler air over land is pushed out over the ocean creating wind.

Multiple Choice

The convection current near a coastline stays the same over a 24-hour period