What do prevailing winds affect

Both convection and pressure affect the flow of water and air. As air and water currents move from one area to another, they affect the general climate of the area they are moving into. Water currents have the ability to cool and warm the air, while air currents push air from one climate to another, bringing heat or cold and moisture with it.

Convection is one of the major ways that heat is transferred. It occurs because hotter liquids and gasses have a tendency to rise, while colder liquids and gasses have a tendency to sink. Think of heating a pot of water on the stove.

Initially, the bottom portion of the water is heated by the energy produced by the stove, but, after a while, bubbles form and rise to the surface. Santa Anas are often responsible for spreading Southern Californias destructive wildfires, earning them the nickname murder winds. Siroccos carry tons of dust and sand throughout northern Africa, and contribute to wet weather as they reach Europe. Also called the West Wind Drift. The Coriolis effect makes storms swirl clockwise in the Southern hemisphere and counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere.

Usually, hurricanes refer to cyclones that form over the Atlantic Ocean. High-pressure systems are usually associated with clear weather.

Hurricanes are the same thing as typhoons, but usually located in the Atlantic Ocean region. Also known as the Monsoon Zone. Low-pressure systems are often associated with storms. Also called a temperate zone. Monsoon usually refers to the winds of the Indian Ocean and South Asia, which often bring heavy rains. Also called a storm tide. Tropical storms are less powerful than cyclones and hurricanes. Typhoons are the same thing as hurricanes, but usually located in the Pacific or Indian Ocean region.

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Caryl-Sue, National Geographic Society. For information on user permissions, please read our Terms of Service. If you have questions about how to cite anything on our website in your project or classroom presentation, please contact your teacher. They will best know the preferred format. When you reach out to them, you will need the page title, URL, and the date you accessed the resource. If a media asset is downloadable, a download button appears in the corner of the media viewer.

If no button appears, you cannot download or save the media. Text on this page is printable and can be used according to our Terms of Service. Any interactives on this page can only be played while you are visiting our website. You cannot download interactives. Erosion is the process where rocks are broken down by natural forces such as wind or water. There are two main types of erosion: chemical and physical. In physical erosion, the rock breaks down but its chemical composition remains the same, such as during a landslide or bioerosion, when plants take root and crack rocks.

Explore the process of erosion with this collection of resources. Ocean currents are the continuous, predictable, directional movement of seawater driven by gravity, wind Coriolis Effect , and water density. Ocean water moves in two directions: horizontally and vertically. Horizontal movements are referred to as currents, while vertical changes are called upwellings or downwellings.

Explore how ocean currents are interconnected with other systems with these resources. Weather is the state of the atmosphere, including temperature, atmospheric pressure, wind, humidity, precipitation, and cloud cover.

It differs from climate, which is all weather conditions for a particular location averaged over about 30 years. Weather is influenced by latitude, altitude, and local and regional geography. It impacts the way people dress each day and the types of structures built. Explore weather and its impacts with this curated collection of classroom resources.

Weathering is the process of the weakening and breakdown of rocks, metals, and manmade objects. There are two main types of weathering: chemical and physical. An example of chemical weathering is acid rain. Caused mostly by the burning of fossil fuels, acid rain is a form of precipitation with high levels of sulfuric acid, which can cause erosion in the materials in which it comes in contact.

An example of physical weathering is wind blowing across the desert playas. This process causes rocks to form a specific pyramid-like shape and they are called ventifacts. Select from these resources to teach about the process of weathering in your classroom. An abiotic factor is a non-living part of an ecosystem that shapes its environment. In a terrestrial ecosystem, examples might include temperature, light, and water.

In a marine ecosystem, abiotic factors would include salinity and ocean currents. Abiotic and biotic factors work together to create a unique ecosystem. Learn more about abiotic factors with this curated resource collection.

Most people think of a blizzard as a bad snowstorm, but a winter storm must meet certain criteria to be classified as a blizzard. According to the National Weather Service, a blizzard is a weather event that includes low temperatures, wind speeds greater than 56 kilometers 35 miles per hour, and a large amount of falling or blowing snow that lowers visibility to 0. These whiteout conditions can cause car accidents and people on foot to become lost. Additionally, the colder temperatures that often follow a blizzard can put people at risk of frostbite or hypothermia.

Explore more about blizzards with this collection of resources. Use this map layer to visualize large and destructive tropical cyclones that occurred between and Wind energy is produced by the movement of air wind and converted into electricity. Join our community of educators and receive the latest information on National Geographic's resources for you and your students.

Skip to content. Twitter Facebook Pinterest Google Classroom. Encyclopedic Entry Vocabulary. Who has seen the wind? Neither you nor I: But when the trees bow down their heads, The wind is passing by.

Age of Exploration. Beaufort scale. Coriolis effect. Fujita scale. Gulf Stream. Saffir Simpson scale. Media Credits The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit. Media If a media asset is downloadable, a download button appears in the corner of the media viewer. Text Text on this page is printable and can be used according to our Terms of Service.

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This air then circulates around to roughly 30 degrees north or south. The wind doesn't flow directly up, because the Earth rotates. This rotation causes the wind to have a higher speed in the Eastern direction relative to the ground at high latitudes see Coriolis effect , which results in a variety of prevailing winds. The trade winds seen in Figure 1 are created by hot air flowing up and away from the equator, where it gradually cools until it gets to latitudes of about 30 degrees.

It then sinks down towards the surface and flows back towards the low-pressure zone at the equator. These flows are known as Hadley cells , named after George Hadley who first described them in Not all of the air moves back towards the equator though.

When the air reaches approximately 60 degrees latitude North or South , it meets cold air from the poles. Evidence for policy. Our data. About ECN. Moor House student placement. Wytham student placement. Weather: anticyclones and depressions. Explanatory notes for teachers. Dysgu am y tywydd a newid yn yr hinsawdd. Volunteering with ECN. Info 3. Distance from the sea Continentality The sea affects the climate of a place.

Ocean currents Ocean currents can increase or reduce temperatures. Click the map to see a larger version The Gulf Stream is a warm ocean current in the North Atlantic flowing from the Gulf of Mexico, northeast along the U. Direction of prevailing winds Winds that blow from the sea often bring rain to the coast and dry weather to inland areas. The shape of the land 'relief' Climate can be affected by mountains. Distance from the equator The distance from the equator affects the climate of a place.

Human influence The factors above affect the climate naturally. Weather: anticyclones and depressions 3.