Transcript Wind
Wind EQ: What is wind? Wind is air in motion. It is produced by the uneven heating of the earth’s surface by the sun. Since the earth’s surface is made of various land and water formations, it absorbs the sun’s radiation unevenly. 2 factors are necessary to describe wind: speed and direction. What causes wind? As the sun warms the Earth's surface, the atmosphere warms too. Some parts of the Earth receive direct rays from the sun all year and are always warm. Other places receive indirect rays, so the climate is colder. Warm air, which weighs less than cold air, rises. Then cool air moves in and replaces the rising warm air. This movement of air is what makes the wind blow. How can the wind be harmful? Wind can be harmful when it brings: thunderstorms hurricanes tornadoes How is wind helpful? Wind is the fastest growing source of electricity in the world. It's one of the least expensive forms of renewable power. Generating power from the wind leaves no dangerous waste products behind. Best of all, its supply is unlimited. Windmills work because the blades are connected to a drive shaft that turns an electric generator to produce electricity. What are the tools used to measure the wind? How can we tell the direction of the wind? An anemometer measures the wind speed. It is made up of propeller cups which are rotated by the motion of the wind. A weather vane or wind vane tells the direction wind is blowing. What is the difference between local and prevailing winds? Local Winds Local winds depend on local changes in temperature. They affect only a small area of land. Sea Breeze- A type of local wind On a warm summer day along the coast, different heating of land and sea leads to the development of local winds called sea breezes. As air above the land surface is heated by radiation from the Sun, it expands and begins to rise, being lighter than the surrounding air. To replace the rising air, cooler air is drawn in from above the surface of the sea. This is how a sea breeze is formed. Land Breeze- A type of local wind A land breeze occurs at night when the land cools faster than the sea. In this case, it is air above the warmer surface water that is heated and rises, pulling in air from the cooler land surface. Valley Breeze- A type of local wind A valley breeze occurs at night when the land cools faster than the sea. In this case, it is air above the warmer surface water that is heated and rises, pulling in air from the cooler land surface. Global Wind Patterns Prevailing winds are caused by uneven heating of large parts of Earth’s atmosphere and by its rotation. Trade winds The trade winds are just air movements toward the equator. They are warm, steady breezes that blow almost continuously. The Coriolis Effect makes the trade winds appear to be curving to the west, whether they are traveling to the equator from the south or north. Jet Stream The jet stream is a fast flowing, river of air found in the atmosphere at around 12 km above the surface of the Earth. They form at the boundaries of adjacent air masses with significant differences in temperature, such as of the polar region and the warmer air to the south. The stream flows west to east. sources http://www.weatherwizkids.com/wind1.htm http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/com mons/6/6d/Wind_vane_05643.jpg http://z.about.com/d/mandarin/1/0/f/c/-//windy_5.png http://teachers.henrico.k12.va.us/freeman/ kertis_j/Global%20and%20Local%20Wind s.ppt#260,5,Pressure Belts