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Unit 4.2: What is a Cycle? Oceans and Weather
Unit Overview: Students continue to study cycles by exploring the role of oceans and the Sun in
weather systems. Students identify the relationships between global and local weather patterns.
Students recognize that the Sun provides the energy which drives convection currents that yield wind
and ocean currents. Finally students identify how global patterns of atmospheric movement influence
local weather
TEKS covered:
8.10A – recognize that the Sun provides the energy that drives convection within the atmosphere and oceans,
producing winds and ocean currents
6.6B calculate density to identify an unknown substance (review of 6th grade density concepts is vital to
understanding 8.10A-C.)
 Unequal heating of the earth’s surface occurs due to the earth’s tilt
 The Sun heats the water and land, land and water heat the air
 Temperature differences cause pressure differences
 High pressure moves to low pressure
 The atmosphere and oceans experience convection currents due to temperature differences (density
differences)
 Oceans have moderating effects on climate in coastal areas; Ocean temperatures vary less than land
temper
 Sea and land breezes
8.10B – identify how global patterns of atmospheric movement influence local weather using maps that show
high and low pressures and fronts
 Coriolis effect, example: Jet stream
 Weather maps (symbols, interpretation)
 High/low pressure - High pressure moves to low pressure, low pressure air has less density and high
pressure air has more density
 High pressure area – higher density air sinks and pressure gets higher making condensation unlikely
 Low pressure – low density air rises and cools; water vapor condenses
 Falling air pressure indicates stormy weather is coming
 Rising air pressure indicates fair weather – sunny, no cloud cover
 Wind patterns - when temperature increases, pressure decreases; when temperature decreases,
pressure increases; the result is convection currents which cause wind
 Frontal boundaries; front- leading edge of an air mass; types of fronts
8.10C – identify the role of the oceans in the formation of weather systems such as hurricanes
 Oceans have a stabilizing affect on Earth’s atmospheric temperatures.
 Hurricanes form over warmer water
 Monsoons are due to seasonal changes in sea and land breezes
 Warmer or colder ocean temperatures due to changes in Pacific Ocean currents
 Cooler ocean temperatures called La Nina causes drought in Texas
 Warm water events called El Nino causes more rainfall in Texas
Unit Questions:
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How do oceans influence weather systems?
How does the Sun produce wind and ocean currents on Earth?
How do global weather patterns influence local weather?
How can you determine or predict local weather using weather maps?
Key Vocabulary Words:
Atmosphere – The blanket of gas on the surface of a planet such as Earth
Air mass – is a volume of air defined by its temperature and water vapor content
Climate - the weather conditions existing in an area in general or over a long period
Convection – Heat transfer in a gas or liquid by the circulation of currents from one area to another
Coriolis Effect - The observed effect of the Coriolis force, especially the deflection of objects or
substances (such as air) moving along the surface of the Earth, rightward in the Northern Hemisphere
and leftward in the Southern Hemisphere.
Currents – a body of water or air moving in a definite direction, especially through a surrounding body of
water or air in which there is less movement.
Density – A physical property of a substance that describes how compact or concentrated it is.
Formation - an act of giving form or shape to something or of taking form, developing or starting
Fronts – a boundary separating two masses of air of different densities
Gulf Stream – A warm ocean current of the northern Atlantic Ocean off eastern North America. It
originates in the Gulf of Mexico
High Pressure – mass of cool, dry air that generally brings fair weather and light winds. When viewed
from above, winds spiral out of a high-pressure center in a clockwise rotation in the Northern
Hemisphere. These bring sunny skies
Hurricane - A large tropical storm system with high-powered circular winds
Jet Stream - fast flowing, narrow, meandering air currents found in the atmosphere of some planets,
including Earth
Low Pressure – mass of warm, moist air that generally brings stormy weather with strong winds. When
viewed from above, winds spiral into a low-pressure center in a counterclockwise rotation in the
Northern Hemisphere
Precipitation – rain, snow, sleet, or hail — any kind of weather condition where something's falling from
the sky.
Stabilizing - to make or hold stable, firm, or steadfast or even
Weather - The daily conditions of the atmosphere in terms of temperature, atmospheric pressure, wind,
and moisture
Weather system - Weather can change on a daily basis especially at middle to high latitudes where it is
controlled by weather systems
Wind – a natural movement of air of any velocity; especially the earth's air or the gas surrounding a
planet in natural motion horizontally