Trade winds

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

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/trade-winds

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 scientific classification?Tropical easterlies, part of the Hadley cell circulation
2. What is the latitude range?Typically found between 30° N and 30° S latitude
3. What are trade winds and where do they blow from?Trade winds are tropical easterlies that blow from the east toward the west. They are found between 30° N and 30° S latitude.
4. Why do trade winds always blow from the east?The Earth’s rotation creates the Coriolis effect, which turns the air that moves from the equator to the subtropics. In the Northern Hemisphere it turns right, and in the Southern Hemisphere left, making the wind come from the east.

Hadley Cell: A large-scale atmospheric convection cell that transports heat and moisture from the tropics towards the poles.
Coriolis Effect: An apparent deflection of moving objects (like air) on a rotating surface, influencing wind direction.
Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ): A belt of low pressure near the equator where the northeast and southeast trade winds converge, characterized by rising air and heavy rainfall.
Subtropical High-Pressure Belts: Regions of descending air and high atmospheric pressure located around 30° latitude, marking the edge of the Hadley cell.