3-1 Earth-Sun Relationships

3-1 Earth-Sun Relationships

Winds and Ocean Currents

• ​Air moving across the surface of the Earth is called wind

• ​Winds occur because sunlight heats the Earth's atmosphere and surface unevenly.

• ​Warm temperatures = air to rise

• ​Cold temperatures cause air to sink which creates high pressure

• ​Ocean currents help distribute energy around the planet.

​Patterns of Wind and Ocean Currents

• ​Movement of air creates the global winds that blow in fairly constant patterns called prevailing winds.

• ​Coriolis effect causes prevailing winds to blow diagonally.

• ​Doldrums- a frequently windless area. near the Equator

• ​Ocean currents affect climate in the coastal lands.

​El Nino

• El Nino- periodic reversal of the pattern of ocean currents and water temperatures in the mid-Pacific region.

​Landforms and Climate

​Windward- being or facing the direction from which the wind is blowing

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​leeward- being in or facing the direction toward which the win is blowing

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​rain shadow- result of a process by which dry areas develop on the leeward sides of mountain ranges.