Global Winds

Global Winds:
How global winds affect
weather patterns

What are the names and directions of the major global winds?

​Global Winds

Open Ended

What do you think causes wind?

Global Winds

- A currentis a flow of air or water in a
certain direction.

Global Winds

- Winds move from areas of high pressure to

low pressure.

- You might expect them to move straight from

the poles (high pressure) to the
equator (low pressure) but…

Multiple Choice

Which statement correctly defines wind?

• Wind is the movement of air from areas of low pressure to areas of high pressure

• Wind is the movement of air from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure.

• Wind is the movement of air to a colder area in the atmosphere.

• Wind is the movement of air pushed around and bouncing off Earth's surface.

Global Winds

-The paths of global winds
curve because earth is
spinning on an axis.

- This is called the
Coriolis effect. see video on next page

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Global Winds

-In the northern hemisphere winds traveling north curve
to the east.

-Winds traveling south curve to the west.

-Weather forecasters use this information to predict
how air masses will move.

-Polar Easterlies are winds that
blow from east to west between
60 degrees and 90 degrees
latitude.

-Prevailing Westerlies are winds
that blow West to East between
30 degrees and 60 degrees
latitude.

-Trade Winds are winds that
blow from east to west between
o degrees and 30 degrees
latitude.

-The doldrums are the area
directly at the equator where
there is no wind at all.

-The Prevailing Westerlies primarily affect the weather
in the US.

-This is why air masses move from West to East in the US.

Multiple Choice

What direction do winds in the Northern Hemisphere blow?

• right

• left

• straight

Multiple Choice

Since the Earth is rotating on its axis, air tends to deflect as it crosses Earth's surface. What is it called when this happens?

• coriolis effect

• doldrums

• trade winds

• westerlies

Multiple Choice

Steady winds that flow from east to west between 30°N latitude and the equator and 30°S latitude and the equator.

• Prevailing westerlies
• Horse latitudes
• Trade winds
• Polar easterlies

Multiple Choice

Cold winds that blow from east to west between latitude lines 60°N and the North Pole and 60°S and the South Pole.

• Prevailing westerlies
• Trade winds
• Horse latitudes
• Polar easterlies

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Multiple Choice

What is a fast-moving ribbon of wind that moves from the west to the east in the and shifts up (carrying warm fronts up from the equator) and shifts down (carrying cold fronts down from the poles)?

• California Current

• Gulf Stream

• Jet Stream

• Atlantic Ocean

Multiple Choice

Which global winds have the greatest impact on the weather in the US?

• trade winds
• prevailing westerlies
• doldrums
• polar easterlies

Multiple Choice

The tropical winds running from 0 to 30 degrees latitude are called _________.

• subtropical westerlies
• polar westerlies
• trade winds
• polar winds

Multiple Choice

What are Doldrums?

• An area in the sea with high wind activity

• A place where many earthquakes occur

• An area in the sea with little to no wind activity

• Book by Nicholas Gannon

Match

Match the following winds to their latitude ranges:

• trade winds

• westerlies

• polar easterlies

30° to 0°

30° to 60°

90° to 60°

• 30° to 0°

• 30° to 60°

• 90° to 60°