Critical Thinking

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Critical Thinking
Answer each of these questions. Be sure to refer to any outside links given.

This activity contains 4 questions.

Go to the website of the American Wind Energy Association. Use the information presented here and in Focus Study 6.1 to assess the current state and the potential of wind energy development. Is further development viable and appropriate, or is there good reason to "go slow" and assess the situation further?

To create paragraphs in your essay response, type at the beginning of the paragraph, and at the end.

Ocean areas with upwelling currents are some of the Earth's prime fishing regions. Visit this site for additional information on upwelling and its effect on marine life. What would happen if waters in these areas warmed as a result of global warming?

To create paragraphs in your essay response, type at the beginning of the paragraph, and at the end.

The trade winds, specifically the tropical northeasterly trade winds, played a significant role in facilitating trade between Europe, Africa, and the Americas for centuries. The aptly named trade winds, though, are only one part of larger semi-permanent "wind super highway" that carried sailing ships back and forth across the Atlantic Ocean.

After reviewing this article on the trans-Atlantic slave trade (or triangular slave trade), provide a summary and analysis of the role of global circulation in this sad historical period. You may also find Fig. 6.14 (shown here below) useful in your analysis.

Now, go to a current map of North Atlantic wind. Are wind directions today conducive to retracing the historical slave trade routes? Explain. [image source]

Theorize how history might have turned out differently had these global winds blown the exact opposite direction.

To create paragraphs in your essay response, type at the beginning of the paragraph, and at the end.

Just for fun:

Do you think that the Coriolis force controls the way the water drains down your bathtub or sink? Next time you wash up, take a look: Is the water draining counter-clockwise if you are in the northern hemisphere or clockwise in the southern hemisphere? If so, do you think this could be due to a real effect, the Coriolis force? Find out the real answer at this Coriolis force site. Were you right or wrong?

To create paragraphs in your essay response, type at the beginning of the paragraph, and at the end.

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