Mountain breeze and valley breeze

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/mountain-breeze-and-valley-breeze

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. What is the location?Mountainous and valley regions globally
2. What is the scientific classification?Anabatic (valley breeze) and Katabatic (mountain breeze) winds
3. What is a valley breeze and when does it happen?A valley breeze is an anabatic wind that rises up the valley slopes during the day when the sun heats the ground. The warm air expands and pulls cooler air from higher up into the valley.
4. Why does a mountain breeze blow down the slopes at night?At night the mountain slopes cool faster than the valley floor, making the air near the surface colder and denser. Gravity pulls this cold air downhill into the valley.

Anabatic Wind: A wind that blows uphill, driven by the heating of the slope during the day.
Katabatic Wind: A wind that blows downhill, driven by the cooling and increased density of air on slopes at night.
Temperature Inversion: A condition where a layer of warm air sits above a layer of cooler air, often formed by mountain breezes.
Diurnal Cycle: A pattern of change that occurs over a 24-hour period, like the daily cycle of winds.