LESSON 3

How Does Wind Change Earth’s Surface?

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U N I T 3 – E A R T H ’ S C H A N G I N G S U R F A C E O B S E R V I N G P H E N O M E N A

What questions do you have about this phenomenon?

After the lesson, use what you learned to explain this phenomenon.

Phenomenon: There are interesting repeating wave shapes on the sand.

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You learned that the wind causes sand to weather and erode materials. Explain the difference between wind weathering and wind erosion. Refer to this image in your answer.

1. Wind Causes Weathering and Erosion

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2. Wind Weathers Rock into Natural Structures

2) Write a paragraph to describe your drawing. Include these terms in your description: carve, erosion, sand, weathering, and wind.

Before After

1) Draw a picture of a desert rock before and after the processes of weathering and erosion. Make sure to show these two processes and label them.

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3. Wind Deposits Material in New Places

1) This ancient city is on the edge of a large desert. It is in danger from shifting sands! Suppose the prevailing winds here are moving sand from left to right. Draw a large sand dune in each panel. Show how the wind can move the dune toward the buildings. In the last drawing, have the sand dune cover part of the buildings.

2) How do sand dunes move? How far can they move in a year?

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4. Wind Can Transport Material Long Distances

Draw and label a Dust Flow Diagram.

Include these things in your drawing:• a compass rose• labels for the Sahara Desert, Amazon Basin, and Atlantic Ocean• an arrow going from east to west across the Atlantic Ocean to show the direction

of trade winds• a caption about whether more dust from South America would blow to

Africa or whether more of Africa’s dust would blow to South America. Explain your reasoning.

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5. Wind Erosion Can Cause Damage

Suppose you are making a movie about the Dust Bowl. You want to tell how the Dust Bowl happened and describe its effects. Write a caption for each image that tells this story.

KEY

Dust Bowl states

Area with most severe dust storm damage

Other areas damaged by dust storms

KansasColorado

OklahomaNewMexico

Texas

Montana NorthDakota

SouthDakota

Nebraska

KansasColorado

Wyoming

OklahomaNewMexico

Texas

A B

C D

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6. Controlling Damage from Wind Erosion

1) Study this image of farm fields in the English countryside. Use a pen to draw a thick line over all the windbreaks you see.

2) How do farmers use windbreaks to control damage from wind erosion?

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1) Draw diagrams of your observations of the sand and flour mixture. Label them to explain the observation.

2) What patterns do you see in your observations?

Planning and Carrying Out Investigations

Analyzing and Interpreting Data

In this Small Group Investigation, you will plan and carry out an investigation that simulates wind. You will make observations to find evidence that wind causes weathering, erosion, and deposition.

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3) Draw diagrams of your observations of the sand and flour mixture with obstacles. Label them to explain the observation.

Planning and Carrying Out Investigations

4) What patterns do you see in your observations? Analyzing and Interpreting Data

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5) Based on the class’s observations, what patterns can you look for in nature to tell when wind causes weathering, erosion, or deposition?

Analyzing and Interpreting Data

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M A K I N G S E N S E O F P H E N O M E N AL E S S O N 3

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Suppose you were a piece of sand or soil. Write a story about a day in your life. Describe the processes of erosion, deposition, and weathering in your tale.