Student Exploration: Coastal Winds and Clouds
Vocabulary: condensation, convection, convection current, land breeze, sea breeze
Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.)
A hot-air balloon contains a propane burner that directs hot air into the
interior of the balloon. You can see the flames in the photo at left.
1. What do you think will happen when the air inside the balloon is
heated? It will expand, causing the balloon to inflate
and rise
2. What might happen if the burner was turned off? The air inside the
balloon would COOl down, causing it to become denser
and sink
Gizmo Warm-up
Have you ever taken a walk along an ocean beach and
noticed a refreshing breeze blowing in from the water?
The cause of this breeze, called a sea breeze, is related
to the reason that a hot-air balloon is able to fly high in the
sky. The Coastal Winds and Clouds Gizmo allows you to
explore how daily temperature variations are related to
sea breezes and other weather phenomena.
Click Play ( ), , and watch the Gizmo for 24 simulated
hours, focusing on the sailboat.
1. Click Pause ( 11 ) when the sailboat starts moving towards the shore. This represents the
start of the sea breeze. What time is it? 10:10 AM
2. Click Play, and then click Pause when the sailboat starts moving out to sea again. This
represents the start of the land breeze. What time is it now?
FAM
3. Click Play, and now observe the clouds for a day. What do you notice? clouds appear
early in the morning around 5AM and in the afternoon at 2AM. The
clouds that appear in the morning move towards the Shore , the afternoon
clouds move towards the sea.
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