On a sunny afternoon, beach sand heats faster than nearby ocean water. What surface wind is most likely along the coast?

After sunset, land beside a lake cools faster than the water. What near-surface breeze is most likely?

A dark parking lot becomes hotter than a nearby grassy field at noon. Air rises over the pavement. What ground-level air movement is most likely?

After sunrise, a mountain slope warms faster than air over the valley floor. What local breeze is most likely along the slope?

On a hot afternoon, bare desert soil is warmer than an irrigated field beside it. What surface wind is most likely?

A beaker of water is heated from below. Warm water rises while cooler water sinks. What pattern forms in the water?

A floor heater warms the air near it, and that air starts to move around the room. What circulation is happening?

Smoke above a candle rises while cooler surrounding air moves in near the flame. What reasoning explains the rising smoke?

The equator receives more direct sunlight than the poles. Warm equatorial air rises, and cooler air sinks elsewhere. What does this help create?

Soup heated on one side of a pan rises where warm and sinks where cooler. How is thermal energy moving through the soup?

A wind starts moving north from the equator, but in the Northern Hemisphere its path curves to the right. What causes this curve?

A surface ocean current in the Southern Hemisphere begins moving south but bends left instead of traveling straight. What explains the bend?

If Earth did not rotate, but the equator still heated more than the poles, global winds would have much less what?

Trade winds move toward the equator but blow from the northeast in the Northern Hemisphere. What best explains their slanted path?

Steady winds blow across the Pacific surface, and floating drifters move in the same general direction. What do the winds help drive?

In the North Atlantic, seawater becomes colder and saltier, then sinks below warmer water. What circulation does this sinking help power?

Warm surface water evaporates in a subtropical ocean, leaving saltier water behind. If that water cools, why can it sink?

A warm ocean current carries tropical water toward western Europe. What climate effect can result near the coast?

Air rises near the warm equator and moves poleward high in the atmosphere before sinking later. What happens to thermal energy?

A cold ocean current flows from high latitudes toward lower latitudes along a coast. What is one effect on energy distribution?