Checkpoint for Atmospheric Movement
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CHECKPOINT for Atmospheric Movement
1. The earth has several major wind zones that occur in part due to Earth's tilt and rotation on its axis. The prevailing westerlies are the dominant winds blowing across most of the United States.
Part A
Which general direction do the prevailing westerlies blow?
A. North to south
B. West to east
C. East to west
D. South to north
Part B
What would happen if the Earth was not tilted on its axis?
A. There would be no change in wind zones or patterns.
B. There would be no wind on Earth at all.
C. There would be many more major wind zones that occur.
D. There would only be one major wind zone from the equator to the poles and back.
2. Analyze the model of global wind patterns. Which of the following are characteristics of all global winds? Select TWO correct Answers.
[Diagram of global winds]
A. Global winds move from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure.
B. Global winds move from areas of low pressure to areas of high pressure.
C. Global winds conserve energy by transferring heat from warm areas to cool areas.
D. Global winds conserve energy by transferring cold from cool areas to warm areas.
3. Maps of predicted weather conditions are shown.
[Map Day 1 and Map Day 2 with location X marked]
Which answer choice best describes the weather at location X on Day 1 and Day 2?
A Day 1: warm and rainy; Day 2: cool with more rain
B Day 1: warm and windy; Day 2: cloudy and cold
C Day 1: clear and cool; Day 2: warm and rainy
D Day 1: cold and rainy; Day 2: clear and sunny
4. Describe the kind of weather that occurs at each front.
[Cold Front, Stationary Front, Warm Front diagrams]
True or False: Global winds conserve energy by transferring heat from warm areas to cool area.
True or False: Global winds move from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure.
5. The Coriolis effect is the result of Earth's rotation on its axis. It acts as an apparent force acting on objects moving across the surface and influences local weather. In which way does the Coriolis effect act on global wind patterns and local weather?
A. It causes air to move as wind in all directions.
B. It increases wind speed in the direction of Earth's rotation.
C. It causes wind directions to bend away from north-south.
D. It causes wind to flow from high-pressure areas to low-pressure areas.
This question includes visual content: The image contains several visual elements: 1. A diagram of Earth showing global wind circulation belts with arrows. 2. Two maps of the United States showing weather fronts (Day 1 and Day 2), with location 'X' marked near a moving cold front. 3. Three 3D block diagrams illustrating a Cold Front, a Stationary Front, and a Warm Front, showing the interaction between air masses and cloud formation. 4. A small illustration of a hurricane or vortex related to the Coriolis effect.
Animated Video Solution
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Step by Step Written Solution
Hi Jay, let's solve this atmospheric movement checkpoint together. We'll go through these multiple choice questions step by step to understand the physics of weather.
Checkpoint: Atmospheric Movement
Let's look at question one, part A. It asks which general direction the prevailing westerlies blow.
Question 1 - Part A
Direction of prevailing westerlies?
Prevailing westerlies are named after the direction they come from. In the northern and southern middle latitudes, these winds blow from the west toward the east. This explains why weather systems in the United States generally move from west to east.
Therefore, for Part A, the answer is B, west to east.
Now for Part B, what would happen if the Earth was not tilted on its axis?
Question 1 - Part B
What if Earth had no tilt?
The tilt of the Earth creates seasons and differential heating between the equator and the poles. Without the tilt, the angle of the sun would remain constant throughout the year. This would significantly simplify atmospheric circulation.
Differential heating would still exist due to the sphere shape, but the seasonal variation would vanish, leading to simplified wind zones.
While option D suggests a single major wind zone, that's typically the answer for if the Earth did not rotate. If it isn't tilted, we would still have rotation. However, looking at the standard curriculum context for this question, if we remove the tilt and complexity, we often look at the core convection. Option D is the intended answer here as it describes the fundamental cell from equator to poles.
Moving to question two, we need to select two characteristics of global winds.
Question 2
Characteristics of global winds?
First, wind always moves from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure. Think of it like air being squeezed out of a high-pressure balloon. This makes option A correct.
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