Winds
By: Alyse Karanian
General Information On Winds
What Is Wind? Wind is the parallel movement of air with the ground. It is also the sideways movement of air.
Local Winds
How are local winds created? Local winds are created by the unequal heating of Earth's surface.
Land and Sea Breezes
How Do Sea Breezes Blow/Form?
Sea Breezes blow during the day from the sea (high pressure) to the land (low pressure). The air over the ocean heats up more slowly than the land does. Th cool ocean air is denser and moves in beneath the warmer land air. The land, which heats up faster than the ocean, causes the air over the land to expand and rise above the ocean air. The warm air rises, cooling off as it does. Then it condenses, forming clouds. The air continues to coll as moves over the cooler ocean. The cool denser air begins to sink, causing the cool air to blow towards the shoreline. This movement is called a Sea Breeze.
Local Winds
Land Breezes
Sea Breezes
Global Winds
How Are Global Winds Created? Global winds are created due uneven heating at the poles and the equator. Warm air over the equator rises, and cooler air sinks at the poles. The poles have a higher air pressure, and the equator has a lower air pressure, therefore causing the air from the poles to blow to the equator. The warm air at the equator cools and is pushed towards the poles, which creates winds that push the air back towards the equator. This is called a Global Wind.
Doldrums
Polar Easterlies, Trade Winds, and Jet Streams
What Are Polar Easterlies/ How Are They Formed? Polar easterlies are winds that blow cold air away from the poles. They are formed by the tilt of earth's axis, which causes the cold air to turn and blow away from the poles. They blow from both the north and south poles(90 degrees north and 90 degrees south.)
What Are Trade Winds/ How Do They Form? Trade winds are winds that are between 0 degrees and 30 degrees. They blow from the horse latitudes to the equator. These winds were used by sailors to travel, and trade goods. They are created also because of Earth's tilt which causes the winds to blow away from the horse latitudes and towards the equator.
What Are Jet Streams? Jets streams are bands of air that run west to east. They are 10 kilometers above Earth, in the upper troposphere, and are many miles wide. The jets streams are used by pilots, which use it to save fuel, and travel faster when traveling west to east. They also determine what much of our weather will be.