Chapter 5: Wind Flashcards
wind is
a horizontal movement of air
Differences in temperature create
differences in pressure
Wind is a horizontal movement of air. Differences in temperature
create differences in pressure. The pressure differences drive
a complex system of wind in a never ending attempt to reach equilibrium
Wind is a horizontal movement of air. Differences in temperature create differences in pressure. The pressure differences drive a complex system of wind in a never ending attempt to reach equilibrium. So the wind is the result of
horizontal differences in air pressure
The wind direction is measured by
the wind vane
The wind direction is measured by the wind vane. This instrument,
which is a common sight on
many buildings, always points into the wind
The wind direction is measured by the wind vane. This instrument,
which is a common sight on many buildings, always points into the wind,
sometimes the wind direction is shown on
a dial that is connected to the wind vane.
The dial indicates
the direction of the wind either by points of the compass-that is, North (N), Northeast (NE), East (E), southeast (SE), and so on or by a scale of 0 to 360
On latter scale.0 (or 360) is
north. 90 is east, 180 is south and 270 is west
If the wind blows from the west the wind direction is
westerly
If the wind blows from the west the wind direction is westerly, if it from the south east – its
south easterly and so on
The wind speed units are:
meter per second m/s
kilometer per hour km/hour
knot; one knot = 0.51 m/s or = 1.9 km/hour.
Factors affecting wind:
Force generating wind (pressure gradient force)
Coriolis force
Friction
Pressure differences must create
a force in order to drive the wind this force is pressure gradient force.
Pressure differences must create a force in order to drive the wind this force is pressure gradient force. The force is from
higher pressure to lower pressure and is perpendicular to the isobars or contours.
The larger pressure differences ( ……………………….) the……………………. the …………………….
( the closer the spacing between the isobars) the stronger the pressure gradient force, the stronger is the Wind.
The magnitude of the pressure gradient force is a function of
the pressure difference between two points and air density
PGF
It can be expressed as:
-(1/p)(Δp/Δx)
All free moving objects including wind are deflected to
the right of their path of motion in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere.
All free moving objects including wind are deflected to the right of
their path of motion in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the
Southern Hemisphere.
The reason of this deflection is
the earth’s rotation
For example if a rocket moved from the North Pole toward a target on the
Equator and took one hour to arrive its target, then the earth will rotate
15o in this time
For example if a rocket moved from the North Pole toward a target on the
Equator and took one hour to arrive its target, then the earth will rotate 15 in this time. So the rocket would look as it
veers off its path and hit the ground 15o west of the target
Coriolis force
deflects the free moving objects to the right in the Northern Hemisphere because of its counter clockwise rotation, and to the left in the southern Hemisphere because of the clockwise rotation of the earth in the Southern Hemisphere
The mathematical formula of computing the Coriolis force is :
Fc= 2ων sinθ
Where Fc is
the Coriolis force measured in m/s2
ω Is
the angular rotation of the earth (which is equal 7.29x10-5 rad/s
The main properties of the Coriolis force are:
- Fc is directly proportional the latitude and wind speed.
- It deflects the free-moving object to the right in the N.H. and to the left in the S.H.
- It affects the wind direction only not affects the wind speed.