Movement of the air masses is the result of both variation of solar energy received by the Earth's regions and the Coriolis (Earth's rotational) effect. Changes in air pressure over the Earth's surface is the direct result of the variation of solar energy received by the Earth's regions. Simply put, pressure differences drive our weather and pressure differences are caused by uneven heating of the Earth's surface. Generally, warm = low pressure, cold = high pressure: things move from high pressure to low pressure, so look at the weather map with an eye toward where the pressure centers are and you to, my friend, can be a weatherman! (At least, your guess will be as good as your local meteorologist's...) |
A simple example: turn on the hot water tap in your shower and close the shower curtain. Notice how, after a couple of seconds, the shower curtain starts to billow toward the inside of the enclosure. As the air inside the enclosure is heated, there is a pressure difference created between the air inside the enclosure and that in the rest of the bathroom. The hot water heats the air, causing a low-pressure area inside the enclosure (the flowing water actually plays a small part in lowering the pressure also). The air outside remains cooler with higher pressure and pushes the curtain inward as it flows toward the lower pressure area. |
One more example: open your front door on the hottest summer afternoon while you have your A/C cranked way down. Standing about 10 feet outside your front door, you should feel cold air flowing outward from the cool interior (higher pressure) to the hot exterior (lower pressure). |
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