SEW - Solar Energy, Wind, and Water Currents Module Overview

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Solar Energy, Wind, and Water Currents

solar energy, wind, and water currentsSeveral properties of the Earth itself and its motion in the solar system combine to form seasons, climate and weather. In addition to the energy provided by the sun, it is the tilt of the Earth on its axis, the uneven distribution of land and water masses across its surface, and the changing densities of air and water as they heat and cool that work together to form the complex interactions that redistribute heat globally. This module will provide a review of the different factors that set the fluid layers - the atmosphere and the hydrosphere - into motion.

Essential Questions:

  • How do latitudinal variations in solar heating create differences in air pressure, global wind patterns, and ocean currents?
  • What are some of the types of data that demonstrate how the interaction and movement of air masses creates weather? How is this data interpreted?
  • In what ways can interactions among ocean currents, air masses, and topography help predict weather patterns?

Key Words:

  1. Air Mass- a body of air covering a large area, with similar temperatures, humidity, and pressure through any horizontal section
  2. Air Pressure- the force that is the result of the weight of a column of air pushing down on an area
  3. Albedo- the characteristic of a surface that determines how much radiation from the sun is reflected or absorbed by the surface
  4. Coordinate- each of a group of numbers used to indicate the position of a point, line, or plane
  5. Equator- an imaginary line drawn around the earth equally distant from both poles, dividing the earth into northern and southern hemispheres
  6. Front- the area where air masses meet but do not mix
  7. Geographic Coordinate System- uses a three-dimensional spherical surface to define locations on the earth
  8. Globe- a sphere model that represents the Earth's entire surface showing the relative size and shape of landmasses and bodies of water
  9. Latitude- the north and south distance from the equator, measured in degrees
  10. Longitude- the east and west distance from the prime meridian, measured in degrees
  11. Map- a model on a flat surface of all or part of the of the Earth's surface from above
  12. Prime Meridian- the earth's zero of longitude, which passes through Greenwich, England
  13. Topography- the arrangement of the natural and artificial physical features of an area
  14. Weather- the state of the atmosphere at a place and time as regards heat, dryness, sunshine, wind, rain, etc
  15. Wind- the horizontal movement of the air, in the form of a current of air, blowing from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure

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