* Most of this is review and then it will follow into the new notes. * Atmospheric Movement, Local Weather and Weather Maps.

0 o Equator 30 o S 60 o S 90 o S 30 o N 60 o N90 o N More Direct Sun Hot

* Forms high in the upper Troposphere between two air masses of different temperatures * Higher temperature difference = faster speed * Due to the Coriolis Effect, it flows around air masses. * Polar Jet: * It dips southward when frigid polar air masses move south. * It tends to stay north in the summer months

 Abnormally high surface ocean temperatures off the coast of South America  Causes unusual weather patterns across the globe

* A strong surface current * Begins at the tip of Florida * Flows up the eastern coastline of the U.S. * Crosses the Atlantic Ocean * Causes warmer climate in NW Europe

* Why does the Earth have wind and ocean currents?

* When convection and winds cause air masses to move, they bump into one another. * The area where two air masses meet is called a front. * Most severe weather occurs near frontal boundaries.

* Warm and cool air masses that are not strong enough to move one another * Sits still for a long period of time

ve_art/weather_fronts/

* Air pressure is measured with a barometer in millibars. * Millibars are represented by connected lines of equal pressure. This is a lot like the topographic map lines. * The closer together the lines are, the faster the wind speed. * The farther apart the lines are, the slower the wind speed.

* The Sun heats the water and land every day. * Land heats up rapidly, but cools off rapidly. * Desert * Water heats up slowly, but cools off slowly. * Swimming at night * The heat retained by the oceans is what keeps our planet insulated.

* The heating and cooling of water and land produces land breezes and sea breezes. * High pressure moves toward low pressure, pushing the warm air upward. * As warm air rises, cooler air moves in and replaces it.

/terc/content/visualizations/es1903/es1903pag e01.cfm?chapter_no=visualization

* How do global patterns of atmospheric movement affect local weather?

* Weather maps are used to show current weather conditions in an effort to predict future weather conditions. * You need to know what each symbol means and how to interpret them to forecast the weather.

* Cold, dense air is moving toward warm, less dense air. * The warm air is pushed up to cool and form clouds as the cooler air replaces it. * The air on the front side of the boundary line is warmer than the air on the back side of the boundary line. * These fronts are usually fast moving and bring stormy weather and heavy precipitation followed by clearing skies and higher pressure.

* Warm air is moving toward cold air. * The warm, less dense air slides over the cold, more dense air. * The air on the front side of the boundary line is cooler than the air on the back side of the boundary line. * These fronts usually move slowly and bring steady rain or snow over many days.

* These fronts occur when neither the cool or warm air masses are strong enough to replace each other. * They tend to stay in an area for a long period of time, often bringing long periods of precipitation and clouds.

* Cooler, dense air close to the surface of the Earth. * Surrounded by winds flowing in a clockwise direction. * Usually brings dry conditions and fair skies.

* Let’s practice. * Remove the lid from the bottle. * Now, replace the lid. * What direction did you turn the lid to tighten it? * Did the lid move up or down? * This is a way to remember high pressure.

* Warmer, less dense air above the Earth’s surface * Surrounded by winds moving in a counterclockwise direction. * Associated with the formation of storms.

* Let’s practice. * Remove the lid from the bottle. * What direction did you turn the lid to loosen it? * Did the lid move up or down? * This is a way to remember low pressure.

Why does the Earth have weather? How do weather maps show how global patterns of atmospheric movement influence local weather?