How is wind created?
Andrea from Greater London (Age 5-14)
Why does the wind blow?
Daniel Loft from Bedfordshire (Age: 5-14)
Filed under: Alaster McDonach's Big Answers, Answered Big Questions, Meteorology Big Questions, age 5-14
How is wind created?
Posted on March 4, 2008 by Administrator
Very interesting question. Using my university physics I come to the conclusion that temperature differences caused differential heating of atmosphere cause convection in the atmosphere(eg at the coast, the air over the land heats faster during the day than it does over the sea). The convection currents lead to high and low pressure zones at the earths surface and the wind we can feel at the earths surface is part of the convection cycle supporting these airflows. Interestingly, if we were on a planet that didn’t rotate these pressure differences would equalise quite quickly. However, because the earth rotates, the air moving over the surface is deflected(to the right in the northern hemisphere and to the left in the southern hemisphere). This is due to the coriolis force created by the earths rotation(which also affects tides). This deflection makes the presure differences “longer lived” and we get the familiar depressions(low pressure) and anticyclones(high pressure) structures.
Who created the wind