Winds
By: Carissa Toth
General Info
Definition of Winds- Wind is the sideways movement of air that moves from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure.
What Causes Winds- Air flowing from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure causes wind.
Local Winds
- A local wind is a wind that blows in a small area.
- Local winds are created by the unequal heating of Earth's surface in a small area.
- There are two types of local winds a sea breeze and a land breeze.
- A sea breeze blows from the sea to the land, warm air above the land rises while cool air above the sea sinks toward the land. A sea breeze happens during the day.
- A land breeze blows from land to the sea, cool air above the land sinks toward the sea while warm air above the sea rises. A land breeze happens at night.
Global Winds
- A global wind is a wind that travels in a large area.
- Global winds are created by the uneven heating of Earth's surface in a large area. Global winds in the Northern Hemisphere turn right, global winds in the Southern Hemisphere turn left. This is called the Coriolis effect, it makes giant convection currents from the poles to the equator.
- Doldrums are winds that blow at the equator.
- Trade winds are winds that blow from horse latitudes to the equator.
- Polar Easterlies blow cool air away from the two poles.
- Jet streams are rings of strong wind in the upper Troposphere that run from west to east.