Exploration 1: Do Global Wind systems Influence the Distribution of Climate Regions?

View the presentation below on global wind systems and climate regions.

Do global wind systems influence the distribution of climate regions? From the presentation, you learned that the answer to that question is YES! In your notes, write a paragraph describing how global wind systems influence the distribution of desert regions.

Exploration 2: Land and Sea Breezes

Land heats and cools more rapidly than the sea. Water takes longer to heat and cool, and holds heat longer than land does. Because of this, there are temperature differences between the land and the sea, which leads to temperature based wind circulation.

During the day, the land gets hotter faster, and the hot air rises, creating an area of low pressure. Wind blows from the sea to the land (sea breeze).

At night, the land cools off faster than the sea. Cooler air descends creating an area of high pressure. Wind blows from the land to the sea (land breeze).

Land and Sea Breezes Animation

Explain in your notes why the breeze (in the animation) blew clockwise during the day and counter-clockwise during the night.

Exploration 3: Movement of Hurricanes

The following link will take you to a website where you will learn more about the movement of hurricanes steered by global winds.

Movement of Hurricanes

Answer the following questions in your notes:

• What determines the path of a hurricane?
• Where do most hurricanes originate?
• Which global winds push hurricanes toward the northeast?
• Why do hurricanes dissipate once they move over cold water or large land masses?