Discussion Questions: Water Vapor Circulation on Earth

• View the simulation and describe what you see. Describe the wind movement at different latitudes.
• How can we track the movement of water vapor when we cannot see it?
• What is the white strip at the bottom of the simulation? What are the blue areas? How much of the Earth's surface is displayed in this simulation?
• What forces are causing the water vapor to swirl and change direction at the mid latitudes?
• How does this pattern relate to the ocean's conveyer belt?
• What is the relationship between El Niño, the water circulatory pattern in this simulation, and the ocean's conveyer belt?