Air Current The Jet Stream

1) The Jet Stream is a fast flowing, _________________ of air.

2) It circles the earth from ___________________ to ___________________.

3) It is located about ________________ miles above the ground.

4) It pushes ______________________ systems across the earth.

5) In a Jet Stream, ______________________ often signal ______________ weather because the regular flow of global air beneath it is ___________________________.

6) The Jet Stream often produces areas of ____________________ pressure.

7) In the winter, winds can reach up to __________________ miles per hour.

8) In the _________________________, wind _______________ is less.

9) Most jet streams are located at the _________________________ which is the area where the troposphere switches to the stratosphere.

10) The path of the Jet Stream is a ____________________________ shape.

11) The strongest are the ________________________ jets.

12) They are caused by earth’s ___________________ and atmospheric ________________________.

13) They form at the boundaries of ________________________ with significant differences in _____________________________.

14) They were only discovered about ___________________ years ago.

Water Currents

EL NINO – El Nino is the warming of the surface water of the eastern and central Pacific Ocean.

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  It happens every 4 to 12 years and causes unusual global weather patterns.
  
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  El Nino occurs when the trade winds that usually push warm surface water westward weaken and warm water collects near the coast of South America.
  
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  The extra warm water affects food sources for ocean life, brings heavy rains to South America and drought to Australia and Indonesia.
  
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  El Nino can also affect weather in the United States.
  

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  not as often as El Nino, but causes similar and opposite changes to global weather patterns
  
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  La Nina occurs when trade winds blow stronger, pushing warmer water farther east allowing cooler waters to rise to the surface.
  
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  The cooler water brings drought to South America and heavy rains to Australia and Indonesia.
  

1) El Nino is when the water in the Pacific Ocean is ______________________ than usual.

2) La Nina is when the water in the Pacific Ocean is ______________________ than usual.

3) El Nino and La Nina can affect the weather in places. Some places will experience a ______________________ while other places will have ________________________.

4) These occur in irregular intervals every _________ to ________ years but the average is every __________ years.

5) During El Nino, the Northwest and North-midwest will be ___________________ and drier than usual.

6) There are usually _________________ hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean during El Nino and _____________________ hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean during La Nina.

The Gulf Stream

1) The Gulf Stream is the most important _____________________ current in the Northern Hemisphere.

2) It stretches from _______________________ to Northern __________________________.

3) It originates in the Gulf of _________________________.

4) Its extension toward Europe is called the North _______________________ Drift.

5) The Gulf Stream can influence ________________________________.

6) Many places on the Atlantic Ocean have milder climates than expected due to the ______ ______________________.

7) Winters are less _____________________ in western Europe than would be expected due to the latitude because of this current.

A) Water Cycle: Know all 4 terms and be able to give examples of each, know what groundwater is, know how much water covers the earth and how much is salt water and how much is fresh water, know that water is neither created or destroyed…..have all we have ever had

B) Atmosphere and Air Temperature: know the layers of the atmosphere and where weather occurs, know how water and land heat and cool, angle of insolation and how it relates to temperature, what air pressure is and how you measure it (barometer), know what affects air pressure, know what makes high pressure and low pressure and what outside conditions are related to each, define weather, weather tools like thermometer, anemometer, weather vane, rain gauge, hygrometer

C) Water Vapor and Humidity: be able to explain relative humidity, what air sinks and rises, what happens as warm air rises

D) Clouds and Precipitation: know all types of clouds and what weather they bring, know different types of precipitation and in what type of cloud hail forms

E) Air Pressure and Wind: know how air pressure can change, how wind blows----direction and from high pressure to low pressure, know what a convection cell is, explain the differences between sea and land breezes, explain what the Coriolis Effect is, different types of global winds, what winds are in the US and how does wind blow in the US, define isobar

F) Air Masses and Fronts: Air Masses and Fronts: Know the 4 types of air masses (names and descriptions) and where they form. Know what a front is and the different types. Know what weather occurs at the different fronts.

G) Global Weather: know Jet Stream, El Nino, La Nina, Gulf Stream and some key facts about each one