jet stream, convection currents & global winds
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- 1. Jet Stream, Global Winds, and Convection
By: Karondre, Gregory, and Yasir - 2. Jet streams are fast moving, narrow bands of air currents
found in the atmospheres of some planets, including Earth. The main
jet streams are located near the tropopause, the transition between
the troposphere and the stratosphere Their paths typically have a
changing shape; jet streams may start, stop, split into two or more
parts, combine into one stream, or flow in various directions
including the opposite direction of most of the jet. The strongest
jet streams are the polar jets, at around 712 km above sea level,
and the higher and somewhat weaker subtropical jets at around 1016
km. Winds vary, but can reach 275 mph.
Jet stream - 3. This is a picture of a jet stream on the news. This jet
stream made Hurricane Maria veer away from its course.
- 4. How the Jet Streams Affect Weather
The jet streams create storms as they go along, and carry them and others like a piece of wood trapped in a fast moving stream of water. Also, in the northern hemisphere whenever a northern jet stream drops down to a more southern position, it brings cooler weather there, and whenever a more southern jet stream comes up, it brings warmer weather. In the southern hemisphere, the effects are the opposite. - 5.
- 6. The winds in different regions blow in different directions.
In the tropical region, the blow from east to west, in the
temperate region, they blow from west to east and in the polar
region, they blow east to west. The winds also have names. The
winds in the tropics are called trade winds, in the temperate they
are westerly winds, and in the polar region, they are polar
easterlies.
Global Wind patterns - 7.
- 8. They effect weather by moving the air masses. For example,
when hurricanes form in the tropical region, they blow from east to
west, then once they get into the temperate region, they start to
go east. If they survive long enough to get to the polar region,
then they go west again. This is why hurricanes are as unlikely to
hit America as they are.
How Global Winds Affect Weather - 9.
- 10. Convection is the transfer of heat by the circulation or
movement of the heated parts of a liquid or gas. For example, in a
pot of boiling water over a burner, the water near the bottom will
be warmer than the water near the top. Since warm water isnt as
dense as the cooler water, it rises and takes the place of the
cooler water as the cooler water falls. The warmer water begins to
cool and get denser than the water at the bottom of the pot since
it is now farther from the heat source. This makes them switch
places again and the cycle starts again. This happens to the air in
our atmosphere except on a larger scale. The air nearest to the
equator is heated more than the air at the poles, which makes it
rise and the cool air drop. The warm air that rises then cools and
drops back down to the equator as the cool air warms up at the
equator and goes back up to the poles.
Convection