Reading Guide
for October 1

from Henson, Rough Guide to Weather

Chapter 1: Ingredients

p. 23. Where does the wind go? What does the author mean by “Wind is the flywheel of the Sun’s heat engine?” What does a flywheel do, and how does that apply to the wind?

pp. 23–25. “Our windblown planet.” The basis of Earth’s air circulation was worked out by Edmund Halley. The first paragraph on page 24 briefly describes it. Why does air rise at the equator?

The actual direction of the global winds is attributed to the Coriolis force. Try to follow the book’s explanation of this force, and bring your questions to class.

• What contribution did George Hadley make to the understanding of global air circulation?
• Why are the horse latitudes host to the world’s greatest deserts?

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