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Name
Date
Which Way Does the Wind Blow?
ES1806
Use another sheet of paper if you need extra space to write complete answers.
1 Make a prediction: Which way do you think
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6 What does the vegetation pattern on Oahu
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Answers will vary. Students should answer by using the
The northeast side of the island has heavy vegetation.
direction from which the wind blows—for example,
This suggests that the wind blows from the northeast to
from the northeast.
the southwest.
the wind blows over Oahu?
2 What evidence did you use to make your
●
prediction?
suggest about the wind direction?
7 What are the three places with the highest
●
Answers will vary. Students may cite the location of
annual precipitation levels, and where are
they located on the island?
clouds or the smooth water southwest of the island.
Manoa (37.8 in.), Nuuanu (35.9 in.); and Wilson and
Ahuimanu (31.9 in. each) are located near the south end
●
3 Describe the pattern of vegetation you see
on Oahu. In which areas are plants
concentrated? Which areas are bare or have
little vegetation?
of the mountain range that forms the northeastern part
of the island.
8 What are the three places with the lowest
●
southwest of the mountains look dry, with little
annual precipitation levels, and where are
they located on the island?
vegetation.
Honolulu (8.0 in.), Waianae (8.6 in.), and Aloha Tower
The mountains are covered in vegetation. The low areas
(9.3 in.) are along the southwestern coast of the island.
4 Describe what happens to moist air as it
●
moves up the slope of a mountain, crosses
the summit, and moves back down the
leeward slope.
As air rises, it cools. Clouds form and rain starts. Once
the air moves over the summit and begins moving down
the opposite slope, the air warms, the rain stops, and
clouds dissipate.
5 How would vegetation patterns reflect the
●
rainfall amounts on each side of a mountain
where wind usually blows in one direction?
The rainfall on the windward side of the mountain
where air is rising should have a lot of vegetation, while
the dry side is where the air is descending from the
summit, and there will be less vegetation.
9 Describe at least one way you could check if
●
your predicted wind direction is correct.
Answers will vary. Students may suggest checking with
the National Weather Service on the Internet or
watching weather reports on T.V.
10 If a weather report for Oahu indicated a
●
storm with winds from the south, would this
refute the evidence you gathered about wind
direction? Why or why not?
No. The vegetation and rainfall patterns indicate the
long-term general wind direction, not the daily weather.
11 Drawing on what you learned from the case
●
of Oahu, in what direction do you predict the
wind blows over California? Describe the
evidence you used to make your prediction.
The wind blows from the west. The heaviest rainfall is
on the west side of the the Sierra Navada Mountains,
and the east side is very dry.
Earth Science
Internet Investigations Guide
67
Chapter 18
Internet Investigation
ES1806_final