In class we have been learning about wind. We learned about local and global winds. There are two types of winds- local and global. Local winds move in every direction. There are two kinds of local winds: sea breezes and land breezes. A sea breeze occurs when the land heats up faster than the water. As the warm air over the land rises, the cooler air over the sea moves in to take its spot. On the other hand, during the night, the land gets cooler than the water and the air over the sea gets warmer than the air over the land. Then this air over the land moves in to replace the rising warm air over the sea, and this is called a land breeze. We also learned about monsoons, which are seasonal winds that occur in the mideast and provide supplies needed for farming. The other type of wind is global winds. There are doldrums, trade winds, prevailing westerlies, and polar easterlies. Doldrums are calm winds at the equator that recieve much of the sun's radiant energy. Any winds that form here are weak and can be a problem for sailing, and ships can be stuck in doldrums for days. Trade winds are about 30 degrees north and south of the equator and the sky is usually clear here. There are few rainclouds and little rainfall, and winds are calm. Ships traveling to the New World had trouble because sometimes there was almost no wind and they might have had to throw their horses overboard if their food supply ran out. At the horse latitudes some sinking air travels back to the eqautor and the rest moves toward the poles. The air that is moving toward the equator are called trade winds. Prevailing westerlies are the cool, sinking air that moves toward the poles. It is influenced by the Coriolis Effect and in the Northern Hemisphere, the air is deflected to the right, and in the Southern it is deflected to the left. They are strong winds. In both hemispheres the westerlies start rising and cooling between 50 and 60 degrees latitude as they approach the poles, where they meet extremely cold air. The winds appear to travel from east to west and called polar easterlies. The polar easterlies are a type of wind that are cold but weak winds, and in the United States many changes in the weather are due to the polar easterlies.
Intesting Facts:
1. On May 3, 1999 as tornadoes ravaged Oklahoma scientist measured the highest recorded wind speed at about 7:00 p.m. near Moore, Oklahoma. A wind speed of 318 mph was recorded where a tornado killed four people and destroyed 250 homes.
2. Solar winds have slowly eroded the Martian atmosphere for billions of years -- transforming the planet into a barren desert.
3. There is evidence that wind energy was used to propel boats along the Nile as early as 5000BC.
My opinion on wind is that it can be helpful in several ways yet deadly at the same. Tremendously large winds can destroy homes and even cities in a matter of minutes. Tsunamis, hurricanes, and tornados are devastating events that unfortunately take place occasionally. But wind is helpful also. Without wind, ships would not be able to travel from one place to another. Wind mills helped pump water and grind grain in China in 200BC. Wind is also the fastest growing source of electricity on Earth. Many times it is one of the least expensive forms of renewable power available and some people say it can sometimes be the cheapest form of any kind of power. Generating power from the wind doesn't leave dangerous waste products behind and fortunately, our supply of wind is unlimited.
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