• The horizontal movement of air from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure

• Differences in air pressure– Heating of the air , decreases pressure. Warm air

rises creating a low pressure– Cool air rushes in to replace the warm air. Cooler,

dense air produces a high pressure– As air goes from high to low pressure, winds form

• Described by direction & speed

• The name of a wind tells where it is coming from

• Wind speed is measured with a anemometer

• Wind-chill factor is the increased cooling that a wind can cause

• Blow over short distances• Caused by unequal heating of the Earth’s

surface within a small area• Two types– Sea Breezes: winds that blow from a body of

water onto land– Land Breezes: winds that blow from land to a

body of water

• Winds that blow steadily from specific directions over long distances

• Created by unequal heating of the Earth’s surface• Produced by the movement of air pressure

between the equator and the North & South Poles

• Coriolis Effect: the way Earth’s rotation makes winds curve– Northern Hemisphere: winds curve to the right– Southern Hemisphere: winds curve to the left

• Doldrums: regions near the equator with little or no winds. Calm and weak

• Trade Winds: warm air rising from the equator cools and sinks. Located between 30°N & S of equator. Calm, few clouds, little rain fall

• Prevailing Westerlies: located in the belt from 30-60° latitude in both hemispheres. Strong winds. Impacts US weather

• Polar Easterlies: cooling takes place between 50-60° latitude as approaching the poles. Cold, weak winds. Impacts US weather

• Bands of high-speed winds about 10 km above Earth’s surface (upper Troposphere)

• Blow from west to east at speeds of 200-400 km/hr

• Help to move storms• Referred to as head or tail winds (flight)

• Create an Acrostic Poem using Global Winds