Planetary wind belts
1 min 58 s. The words are spoken and shown in the picture; the player can also show them as subtitles.
For the Earth and Space Sciences Regents. Topic: Planetary wind belts, with the past questions on it.
What Dr. Mars says (the words of the video)
Where do Earth's big wind belts come from?
The Sun heats Earth most strongly near the Equator.
Warm air rises at the Equator: low pressure and rain. Water vapour rises with the warm air.
The rising air cools and forms clouds.
Near thirty degrees north the air sinks: high pressure, dry air.
Dr. Mars pushes against the heavy, sinking air.
At the surface, wind blows from high to low pressure.
A gust blows Dr. Mars's hat back toward the Equator.
Air rises again near sixty degrees north and sinks at the pole.
Rising air cools: clouds and rain. Sinking air warms: dry air.
Earth spins, so moving air turns aside: the Coriolis effect.
Northern Hemisphere: air turns to the right of its path.
This makes the trade winds, prevailing westerlies and polar easterlies.
A wind is named for where it comes from.
New York is in the westerlies: weather moves west to east.
These winds blow from the southwest toward the northeast.
Check yourself! Where does air sink and make the climate dry: A, B, or C?
Think about which way the air moves above each letter.
Answer: B! Air sinks near thirty degrees north, so the climate is dry.
That is the heavy, sinking air Dr. Mars pushed against.
Dr. Mars. Free practice for the New York Earth and Space Sciences Regents.