Rubric
Weather in the Atmosphere
Predicting
Wind Air masses Fronts
weather
How does wind form? What properties do air What happens when two
What are weather maps?
masses have? air masses meet?
T6L1
Atmosphere Around You
MS-ESS2-6
Develop and use a model to describe how unequal heating and
rotation of the earth cause patterns of atmospheric and oceanic
circulation that determine regional climates.
[Link]
VRPSU
- As altitude (elevation above sea level) increases, the
air pressure decreases
- Warm air has less air pressure than cold air
Unequal heating
Due to latitude Due to land and
As latitude increase (away water
from the equator) the
temperature decreases It causes sea breeze and land
breeze
Cooler
warmer
Cooler
● Wind is the movement of air parallel to Earth’s surface
● Wind blows from :
high pressure (cold) —> low pressure (warm)
Wind blows from
high pressure (cold) —> low pressure (warm)
Sea breeze : air moves
from sea to land
Land Breeze: air
moves from land to
sea
Unequal heating over small areas causes local winds. Land heats up and cools down faster than
water.
During the day, land heats up faster than water. This causes the air above the land to have lower
density and rise, creating an area of low pressure. The cooler air above the water, which is an
area of high pressure, then moves in to replace the rising warm air, creating wind moving from
the cooler area with high pressure to warmer ares of low pressure. At night, the process is
reversed as land cools down faster than water. This cycle of heating and cooling creates wind
patterns.
Sea breeze
Land breeze
Warm ccol ccol Warm
low high high low
Coastal Winds
Sea Breeze: Land Breeze:
Direction: from sea to land Direction : land to sea
Time:: day Time : night
Fastest : around 3 pm Fastest: end of night
(around 5 a.m.)
Climate Factors
Factors Affecting Climate
latitude Altitude Distance from Ocean currents Prevailing winds
water bodies
Factors affecting Climate:
Altitude
Factors affecting Climate:
Polar Climate
Temperate Climate
Tropical
Climate
Temperate Climate
Polar Climate
Factors affecting Climate:
San Francisco: Coastal city
Mild winter (Jan) and cool
summers (July)
Kansas: Far from ocean:
Colder winter (Jan) and warmer
summer (July)
6TH Grade
01
01
Air Mass Name
Part 1: Humidity Part 2: Temperature
Continental : dry Tropical : warm
Forms over land Forms over tropics
Maritime : Humid Polar: cold
(moist) Forms over polar areas
Forms over ocean
Type of Air Mass Humidity (wet OR Temperature (cold Where does it form
dry) or warm)
Continental polar dry cold Over cold land
Continental tropical dry warm Over warm land
Maritime polar humid/wet cold Over cold water
Maritime tropical humid/ wet warm Over warm water
Notes:
Areas closer to the equator: warm
Areas far from the equator: cold
Continental:
forms over
continent
Maritime: forms
over water
Tropical: tropical
areas (warm)
Polar: Cold ares
(north
A MAP is worth a thousand words
Unequal heating
of different
latitudes on
Earth
Fronts
[Link]
01
Stationary
Occluded
T6L4
Predicting Weather
changes
MS-ESS2-5
Collect data to provide evidence for how the motions and complex
interactions of air masses results in changes in weather conditions.
Weather Maps
What weather is
expected in
Oklahoma?
Cold, rainy, and
thunderstorm
What is the air
pressure in portland?
1020
What front is Detroit
having?
A stationary front
L
L H
H L
Recall: Identify type of front and resulting weather
stationary
Occluded