Understanding the Weather Machine
By: Jessica and Asyah
Vocabulary
Convection
The movement, or transfer, of heat through a gas or liquid.
Current
When warm air or water rises out of an area, cool air or water flows in to take its place. The steady movement of air or water due to convection.
Prevailing Winds
Winds that usually blow in a certain direction.
Coriolis Effect
The curving pattern of wind and ocean currents caused by Earth's rotation.
Pictures
What does the picture show?
The map shows the main prevailing winds around the globe. The winds blow toward the equator from higher latitudes to the north and south. They are known as trade winds. These winds were named for their ability to move sail-powered ships carrying trade goods across the seas.
What does the picture show?
The picture represents convection. It shows that hotter and less dense material tends to rise, while colder, denser material tends to sink under the force of gravity.
Bullet Points over the Section
Info:
- Convection occurs in both gases and liquids
- Weather is the product of natural forces working together like a machine
- The "weather machine" takes energy from the sun, earth, and the atmosphere and transforms it into rain, winds, and other types of weather
- If Earth didn't rotate, the prevailing winds would move in straight lines between the equator and the poles