1. Main Idea
"Wind and water carry rainfall and the sun's warmth around the world to create different climates." Which means the wind carries water and the heat from the sun to places all around the world, which creates our worlds climates.
2. What is the difference between weather and climate?
Weather is the changes in the air that occur unpredictably, over a short time period. Climate, however, is is the weather patterns, in a certain place, over a long amount of time, in a predicatble way.
3. In which general direction does the wind blow over North America?
These winds are called Westerlies, and they blow from the West.
4. What winds did European sailers use to get to South America and the islands north of it?
These sailors used the Northeasterly Trade Winds to get to South America and the islands north of it.
5. How does the tilt of the Earth affect climate?
The tilt of the earth affects climate because of the way the suns rays hit the earth. When the suns rays hit more directly, it is warmer, and when the suns rays hit more indirectly, it is colder. So, for example, if the earth is tilted with the north pole closer to the sun, the Northern Hemisphere is warmer. This is considered the Northern Hemisphere's summer, and, since the Southern Hemisphere is facing away from the sun, it is the Southern Hemisphere's winter. This can go either way, depending on the earth's tilt.
6. How does this relate to the Voyages of Columbus?
This relates to the Voyages of Columbus because the winds affected his voyages. On his way there, he started at above 30 degrees North. It took him over a month to get below this area. This is because there isn't very much, if any, wind in this area. Once he was below 30 degrees North, the wind pushed him in the right direction, and a little south, also. However, on his way back, it was very difficult for him to get above 30 degrees North, where he was easily pushed towards his next destination. Getting there was so difficult because he was going against the winds in between the equator and 30 degrees North. The winds inside the earths atmosphere greatly affected the Voyages of Columbus.