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Name - Earth Science Wind/Pressure/Weather Webquest Part 1. Air Masses

This document contains a student's responses to an Earth Science assignment on air masses, global winds, the Coriolis effect, pressure centers, frontal boundaries, and interpreting a current weather map. The student defines different types of air masses, labels diagrams of global wind patterns and pressure systems, explains how the Coriolis effect influences wind direction, describes characteristics of high and low pressure systems, defines cold and warm fronts and the weather patterns associated with them, and identifies features on a current US weather map.

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121 views

Name - Earth Science Wind/Pressure/Weather Webquest Part 1. Air Masses

This document contains a student's responses to an Earth Science assignment on air masses, global winds, the Coriolis effect, pressure centers, frontal boundaries, and interpreting a current weather map. The student defines different types of air masses, labels diagrams of global wind patterns and pressure systems, explains how the Coriolis effect influences wind direction, describes characteristics of high and low pressure systems, defines cold and warm fronts and the weather patterns associated with them, and identifies features on a current US weather map.

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© © All Rights Reserved
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NAME ___________________________

Earth Science Wind/Pressure/Weather WebQuest


Part 1. Air Masses
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_mass Find out what an air mass is.
a. What is an airmass? An airmass is a body of air with horizontally uniform climate
b. Explain the difference between a continental(c) air mass, and a maritime(m) air mass.
Continental is above land while maritime is near costal area.
c. Explain the difference between a polar(P) air mass and a tropical(T) air mass.
Polar is cold. tropical is warm
2. They describe an air mass by its Moisture content and Temperature, so each air mass has two letters. Name
each air mass and describe it by moisture content and temperature.
cP = dry cold cT = Dry warm
mP = Cold but not as cold as artic mT = Humid Warm
Using the map on the webpage, label each of the bubbles below.

mP
cP

cT
mT

a.

Three air masses affect Pennsylvanias weather the most. Name their air mass symbols and tell me
where they come from. cP mP mT. gulf, west , east
2. Go to the website: http://www.weatherquestions.com/What_causes_high_pressure.htm to find out what
causes a high pressure air mass.
a. What causes an air mass to have a high pressure?
Air masses being cooled
3. The website http://www.weatherquestions.com/What_causes_low_pressure.htm will help you answer the
following question:
a. What causes an air mass to have a low pressure?
Movement of air removes mass from a region

4. Look at this picture: http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/images/thermal2.GIF. Does air move


from high pressure to low, or low to high. high to low
Part 2. Global Winds
5. http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/wwhlpr/global_winds.rxml What are the Global Winds? General
circulation of the surface winds.
Label B L in the diagram below.
B polar easterlies
C subpolar low
D prevailing westerlies
E subtropical high
F tropical easterlies
G intertropical convergence zone
H tropical easterlies
I subtropical high
J Prevailing westerlies
K subpolar low
L polar easterlies

Part 3. Coriolis Effect


6. The Coriolis Effect affects Earths winds. Read the information at this website to find out about the Coriolis
Effect: http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/guides/mtr/fw/crls.rxml . The video at the bottom will give you a
visual of the Coriolis Effect.
a. Click on the Pressure Gradient link. What is the direction of the net force between two pressure
systems?

From High pressure to

Low

pressure.

b. Click on the High link. What is a High Pressure Center and what does it mean? Pressure has been
measured to be the highest relative to its surroundsing
c. In the video, why does the ball not roll straight across the merry-go-round?
Coriolis force
d. How is the Earth similar to the merry-go-round? (look at the figure) the earth spins just as the merrygo-round does
e. Wind is an object that is affected by the Coriolis Effect. What happens to winds in the Northern
Hemisphere as a results of the Coriolis Effect? Winds are deflected to the right
7. Use the animation at the following website to help you find out how the Coriolis Effect affects wind:
http://www.classzone.com/books/earth_science/terc/content/visualizations/es1905/es1905page01.cfm .

a. Which way does the Coriolis Effect deflect wind in the Northern Hemisphere? Right
Part 4. Pressure Centers and Weather
8. Go to the website listed here: http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/wx/surface.rxml . Then, find the picture
that says Sea Level Pressure with IR satellite. Click on this figure to bring up a new window. Click on the
button that says Aminate. Choose 96 frames. Answer the following questions:
a. This map shows you isobars and cloud cover. Click on the ? help to explain what an isobar is.
Line on a map connecting points having the same atmospheric pressure on average
b. Look at the map and find Chicago. Between which two isobars is Chicago?
1032 1020
c. Press Play on the window, and watch where the clouds travel. Do the clouds tend to be near High
pressure centers (H) or Low pressure centers? Low pressure centers
9. This website will help explain why High pressure centers usually mean good weather, and Low pressure
centers usually mean bad weather: http://www.usatoday.com/weather/tg/whighlow/whighlow.htm . Go here and
read to discover why this is true, and then answer the following questions:
a. Air descends (comes down) at High pressure areas. Why does descending air not allow for clouds to
form? All the particles are down
b. Air ascends (goes up) at Low pressure areas. Why does ascending air allow for clouds to form? More
particles for clouds to form
c. Use diagram to determine the direction of wind motion. What is the direction around a High pressure
system? clockwise
d. What is the direction around a Low pressure system? counterclockwise
Part 5. Frontal Boundaries
10. This website will help you to understand a frontal boundary. Read the Introduction at the top and answer
the following questions. http://www.phschool.com/atschool/phsciexp/active_art/weather_fronts/
a. What is a weather front? Area where tow air masses with different temperatures and densities colldie
but not mix.
11. Play the Cold front animation and read the information above to answer the questions below.
a. Which air mass is doing the pushing? The cold air is pushing the warm air
b. What forms when the warm air gets pushed up by the cold air? Clouds
c. What kind of clouds form at the frontal boundary? Cumulus
d. What weather is associated with this cloud type? Heavy rain or snow
12. Play the Warm Front animation and answer the questions below.
a. Which air mass is doing the pushing? The warm air is pushing the cold air
b. What forms when the warm air rides up over the cold air? Clouds
c. What kind of clouds form at this frontal boundary? Scattered clouds or nimbus clouds
d. What kind of clouds are at the very front edge of this boundary? Rain clouds

13. Below you will see on the weather map the symbol for a Cold Front is a Blue line with Triangles and a
Warm Front is a Red line with half-circles. Label the diagram to show where the cool, dry (cP) air mass and the
warm, moist (mT) air mass is in the picture.
a. Along which frontal boundary will thunderstorms
develop? Cold fronts
b. Along which frontal boundary will all-day rain occur.
mT
cP

Warm fronts
c. Look at the wind arrows on the diagram, do they match
the direction of motion you determined in questions 9, d?
What direction is that? Yes

14. What happens at a Stationary Front? Lots of precipitations for days


15. Search the internet to find out the weather map symbol for a Stationary Front and draw below.

16. Click on this website to see the Current Weather Map.


http://www.weather.com/maps/maptype/currentweatherusnational/index_large.html
a. Where is a Cold Front occurring? Mid United States
b. Where is a Warm Front occurring? Of the coast of California
c. What type of air mass are we currently in? stationary turning to cold

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