Listen & Learn: Polar Vortex
8th January 2025 by Jaksyn Peacock
Pre-listening vocabulary
- pressure: a measure of force per unit area
- circulate: to move in a circular pattern
- pole: one of the two ends of the Earth’s axis of rotation
- atmosphere: the layer of gas that surrounds the Earth
- temperate: typically having mild temperatures
- pattern: a regular, predictable series of events
Listening activity
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Gapfill exercise
Comprehension questions
See answers below
- A polar vortex is an area of
a. high-pressure wind
b. low-pressure wind
c. high-temperature wind - The polar vortexes
a. appear only during the winter
b. appear every seven years
c. are always there - When the polar winds weaken, temperate regions will likely experience
a. warmer winters
b. warmer summers
c. colder winters
Discussion/essay questions
- Has your region experienced any effects of climate change? What are leaders doing about it? Do you think they should be doing more? Why or why not?
Transcript
A polar vortex is an area of low-pressure wind that circulates at the Earth’s poles. The winds of a polar vortex are very high in the atmosphere, and they contain some of the Earth’s coldest air. The northern and southern vortexes are always there, but changes in the winds can affect temperatures around the world. When the winds weaken, they affect lower belts of air called polar jet streams. If a polar vortex is not strong enough to hold the winds in place, the jet stream can grow wide and irregular. Unusually cold winters can happen when jet streams spread cold polar air to more temperate regions. It is possible that climate change will affect the polar vortex by weakening the polar winds over time. This could change the way that many regions experience seasons and create new extreme weather patterns, both hot and cold.
Answers to comprehension questions
1b 2c 3c
