Local and Global Winds

Which best describes why winds at the beach change direction between day and night?

• because the temperatures over land and over water change
• because warm air over land sinks and stays in place over land
• because cool air rises and is replaced by warm air from the ocean
• because cool air sinks and stays in place over land

What is described by air that is constantly moving because of the differences in water temperature and land temperature?

• tides
• hurricanes
• sand dunes
• sea breezes

Which best explains why a nearby body of water tends to make local temperatures milder?

• Water constantly releases heat into the air.
• Water gains and loses heat more slowly than land.
• Some water stays liquid when everything else is frozen.
• When water is frozen it protects the nearby area from wind.

If a weather system is moving from the Pacific coast to North Carolina, from which direction will the winds in North Carolina most likely blow?

• north
• east
• west
• south

Which best describes a characteristic of the jet stream?

• It forms a boundary between a cold air mass and a warm air mass.
• It creates the high winds around the eye of a hurricane.
• It forces the hot air along the equator to rise to areas in North America.
• It causes high pressure air masses to rotate clockwise.

Which is the best explanation for how air masses move across the United States?

• The prevailing westerlies move air masses from west to east across the United States but may be deflected by the jet stream.
• The trade winds move air masses from west to east across the United States.
• The jet stream moves air masses from the Pacific Ocean across the United States.
• The warm air of the Gulf Stream causes air masses to move from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.

Which is most responsible for guiding the movement of different air masses across the United States?

• the oceans
• trade winds
• the jet stream
• easterly winds

Which is true about sea breezes?

• They form when both the land and the ocean have cooler temperatures.
• They form when both the land and the ocean have warmer temperatures.
• They form because the land warms up more quickly than the cooler ocean waters.
• They form because the ocean warms up more quickly than the cooler land masses.

Which describes the direction of prevailing westerlies?

• east to west
• west to east
• south to west
• west to south