U4L1 Air Patterns in Earth's Atmosphere

Air circulates in Earth’s atmosphere. What is the fundamental cause of air circulation in Earth’s atmosphere?

• ocean currents

• Earth’s gravity

• energy from the sun

• Earth’s magnetic field

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NGSS.MS-ESS2-6

Which statement describes the general pattern of winds near the equator?

• The equator is a region of mostly high air pressure due to cooler, dense air.

• The equator is a region of mostly low air pressure due to warmer, less dense air.

• The equator is a region where low and high air pressure atmospheric bands come together to create warm, weak air patterns.

• The equator is a region where high and low air pressure atmospheric bands come together to result in cool, strong air patterns.

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NGSS.MS-ESS2-5

The Santa Ana winds can develop during the fall and winter. Which statement describes conditions that form these winds?

• A cold mass of high-pressure air forms over the Great Basin.

• Warm, low-pressure air in the south travels to the Great Basin.

• Dry, warm air forms slow, weak winds that travel toward the Pacific Ocean.

• Decreasing elevation causes the air to become wet and warm as it passes through valleys.

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NGSS.MS-ESS2-5

Winds may be named for their location or for the direction from which they blow. Which winds blow from 30° latitude in both hemispheres almost to the equator?

• easterlies

• westerlies

• trade winds

• the doldrums

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NGSS.MS-ESS2-6

Which of the following is a characteristic of all global winds?

• They all move from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure.

• They all move from areas of low pressure to areas of high pressure.

• They all move in the same direction toward the equator.

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NGSS.MS-ESS2-6

Which factor has the greatest impact on the direction of global winds?

• air speed and the amount of daylight

• rotation of Earth and pressure differences

• length of the day and temperature of the air

• distance from the horse latitudes and size of the sun

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NGSS.MS-ESS2-6

Which of the following can be used to describe the formation of a convection cell? Select all that apply. (2 answers)

• Warmer, more dense air rises above a heat source.

• Warmer, less dense air rises above a heat source.

• As air cools, it becomes more dense and sinks back down.

• As air cools, it becomes less dense and sinks back down.

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NGSS.MS-ESS2-6

On a large scale, how do winds move east and west across Earth’s surface? Select all that apply. (2 answers)

• The heating of Earth's surface by the sun results in low-pressure areas near the equator and high-pressure areas near the poles. As a result, winds tend to flow from the poles toward the equator.

• As air moves north or south, the planet's rotation deflects winds to the left or right.

• The sun heats all parts of Earth's surface equally, so winds flow in the opposite direction of Earth's rotation.

• The uneven heating of Earth's surface by the sun and Earth's rotation combine to cause winds to blow from the west to the east in the Northern Hemisphere and from the east to the west in the Southern Hemisphere.

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What causes wind?

• Air flowing from high pressure to low pressure.

• Air flowing from low pressure to high pressure.

• The rotation of the Earth.

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NGSS.MS-ESS2-5

Convection is the cycling of matter due to...

• different temperatures

• different directions

• different densities

• different types

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