APES Chapter 4 FRQ

(a) Based on the information in the diagrams, describe the seasonal changes in global wind patterns between January and July at location 3.

(a) Based on the information in the diagrams, describe the seasonal changes in global wind patterns between January and July at location 3.

· Winds come from both the south/southeast and the north/northeast in January and from the south/southeast in July.
· South/southeast and north/northeast winds in the summer and south/southeast winds in the winter.

(b) Based on the information in the diagrams, explain why the days in location 4 have more hours of daylight in June than the days in location 1 have in June.

· Incoming solar radiation during the days of June/summer in the Northern Hemisphere received at location 4 is higher than in location 1 as a result of the tilt of the Earth and/or the angle of the Sun.
· In the Arctic, the sun never really sets during the June (summer) solstice, so there are almost 24 hours of daylight near the north pole. Closer to the equator, in location 1, there are fewer hours of daylight in June.

(c) Based on the information in the diagrams, explain how the seasonal wind direction could affect local weather at location 3.

· The winds in the summer (January) come from the southeast bringing warm (and wet) air from near the equator. The winds in the winter (July) from the ocean keep temperatures mild and relatively warm.
· There is cooler drier air in July from the south and warmer wetter air from the north and east in January.

(d) For winds in the Northern Hemisphere that blow out of the north and are directed southward toward the equator, as shown in the diagrams, identify the direction toward which they are deflected and explain why this deflection occurs.

· The winds are directed to the west/right because of the Coriolis effect.
· The winds deflect to the west/right because of the rotation of the Earth.

(e) Every few years in the Southern Hemisphere, the winds over the Pacific Ocean, as shown in the diagrams, weaken or reverse direction. Describe the typical change to the weather pattern that happens along the southwestern coast of North America during those years.

· There is an increase in temperature and the amount of rain (in most of Canada/in California and the southwestern United States).
· There are wetter than average conditions along the Gulf Coast.
· There are drier conditions in the Pacific Northwest/the Midwest/the Rocky Mountains.

(f) Describe one economic problem that is a result of the weather change described in part (e).

· Reduction in fishery production in the Pacific Ocean.
· Property damage from flooding and/or landslides.
· Damage to crops from extreme weather (increased precipitation/snowfall/severe weather events).

(g) Identify one characteristic of the expected climate on the slope of a mountain nearest the ocean, when the prevailing winds carry air from the ocean over land and up the slope of a mountain range.

· Cold
· Wet

A community is considering switching from coal-fired power plants to using wind energy to generate electricity. In order to decide what type of wind turbine is best for the area, an investigation was conducted to compare the amount of electricity generated using different blade lengths. A series of wind turbines were assembled at a location near the community and tested to compare the amount of electricity each wind turbine could produce. Care was taken to make certain that each turbine was positioned to be exposed to the same wind direction and speed.
(h) Identify the dependent variable for the investigation.

· Amount of electrical power generated
· Amount of electricity produced

(i) Identify one modification that could be made to the investigation that will alter the results.

· Change height of turbines
· Change the number of blades

(j) Describe how the manufacturing of wind turbine blades could increase the ecological footprint of the community.

· Metals used to manufacture turbine blades must be mined/processed.
· Transportation of materials from mine to manufacturing facilities requires combustion of fossil fuels/heavy equipment/trucks.