Figure 17.6: The Bonneville Salt Flats are part of the very dry Great Basin. They receive so
littlerainfallbecausetheyareontheleewardsideoftheSierraNevada, partifitsrainshadow.
( 17 )
Review Questions
- Describe the weather of the location where you are right now. How is the weather
today typical or atypical of your usual climate? - In what two ways could a desert be found at 30°N?
- Could a desert form at 45oN latitude?
- Why is there so little wind in the locations where the atmospheric circulation cells
meet? - If it is windy at 30oN where there is normally little wind, does that mean the model
of the atmospheric circulation cells is wrong? - What is the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ)? What winds do you expect to
find here? - How does the polar jet stream move from summer to winter? How would this affect
the climate of the locations where it moves? - How would the climate of a city at 45oN near the Pacific Ocean differ from one at the
same latitude near the Atlantic Coast? - Why does the ocean water off California cool the western portion of the state, while
the water off the southeastern United States warms that region? - Think about what you know about surface ocean currents. How would you expect the
climate of western South America to be influenced by the Pacific Ocean? Could this
same effect happen in the Northern Hemisphere? - The Andes Mountains line western South America. How do you think they influence
the climate of that region and the lands to the east of them?