Jet stream

High school (ages 12+)
Environment & Earth

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/jet-stream

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. Who discovered Jet stream?Recognized and studied extensively starting in the mid-20th century
2. What is the location?Upper troposphere and lower stratosphere, typically between 20,000 and 50,000 feet
3. What is the primary types?Polar jet stream and subtropical jet stream
4. Why do jet streams change between summer and winter?In summer they move farther from the poles and become weaker, while in winter they move closer to the poles and get stronger because of temperature differences between cold and warm air.
5. How do jet streams affect the weather we feel on the ground?A strong, straight jet stream pushes weather systems quickly across the land, giving us clear weather changes, but a weak or wavy jet stream can trap storms and cause long heatwaves, droughts, or floods.

Coriolis Effect: An apparent force caused by Earth's rotation that deflects moving objects.
Zonal Flow: Atmospheric circulation that flows predominantly east-west.
Meridional Flow: Atmospheric circulation that flows predominantly north-south, characterized by waves or 'wiggles'.
Hadley Cell: A large-scale atmospheric circulation pattern that transports heat from the equator towards the poles.