NAME ___________________________

Earth Science Wind WebQuest

Part 1.
http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/guides/mtr/fw/home.rxml

Click on Sea Breezes to answer the questions in Part 1.

1. What is a sea breeze? When do they usually occur? Why?

2. Draw an arrow showing the direction of the wind:

Sea Breeze:

3. Which warms more rapidly: a large body of water or the land?

4. What is a "land breeze"? When do they usually occur? Why?

5. Where are land breezes the strongest?

6. Draw and arrow on the diagram below showing the direction of the wind:

Land Breeze:

7. Which cools more rapidly: air over land or air over water? Why?

Part 2. Global Winds

8. http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/wwhlpr/global_winds.rxml What are the Global Winds?
_____________
9. Label B L in the diagram below.
Part 3. Coriolis Effect
10. 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 pressure to pressure.
b. Click on the High link. What is a High Pressure Center and what does it mean?

c. In the video, why does the ball not roll straight across the merry-go-round?
__________________________________________________________________________________________

d. How is the Earth similar to the merry-go-round? (look at the figure)

__________________________________________________________________________________________

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? ________________________________________________________.

11. 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?
_______________________________________________________________________________________.

Part 4. Winds
Use the Predominant Winds and Explorers Routes game to answer the following questions
http://www.games68.com/games.php?id=234420

a. Read the first page, click the "next page" wheel. What are the doldrums?

b. Click on "Canary Islands" on the bottom of the game window. Explain how the winds the sailors used were both
a blessing and a curse on their journey to and from the Canary Islands.

c. Click "Next Page". What was the solution to the Canary Island problem... Be specific!

d. Click "Next Page". What is the "volta maneuver"?

e. Click on "Dias" on the bottom of the page. Describe Dias' journey.

f. Click on "Columbus", read both pages. Describe how Columbus used the Trade Winds and the Westerlies to
complete his journey.

g. Click on "De Gama", read both pages. Describe his journey using the winds of the Atlantic.

h. Click on "Monsoon Sailing" and go to the second page. How did sailors use the summer monsoons in their
journey to India?Go to the third page Describe how the winter monsoon also helped sailors on their journeysBE
SPECIFIC!