Question

At upper levels, the wind directions are also related to the contours. That is, especially where winds are relatively fast, the winds are generally ________.

a) Easterly
b) Westerly
c) Northerly
d) Southerly

Answer 1

Option B: At upper levels of the atmosphere where winds are swift, the prevailing wind direction is generally westerly, which means the winds blow from west to east.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question pertains to the patterns of global wind flow at upper levels of the atmosphere, specifically at the altitude where jet streams occur. In the mid-latitudes, particularly where winds are relatively swift, the winds follow the contours of pressure and are generally westerly. This means they blow from the west toward the east. For instance, jet streams, which are fast-flowing, narrow air currents found in the atmospheres of some planets including Earth, generally have a westerly direction in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

This pattern is a result of the Earth's rotation and the generated Coriolis force which deflects winds to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere. When combined with the temperature gradient between the equator and the poles, this results in the prevailing westerly wind direction at upper levels.