1. Winds and Local Winds Shannon Adlabi, Alex Johnson, Christian Argyros, Elizabeth Carroll

2. What is Wind?  Wind is the horizontal movement of air from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure.  Unequal heating of Earth’s atmosphere causes differences in air pressure. Where there is less air pressure, the air is less dense. Denser, cooler air goes under the warm air and pushes it upward, causing wind.

3. How do you measure wind?  Wind is measured with an instrument called an anemometer. It has several cups attached to spokes that rotate on an axle. The wind pushes the spokes, and a meter on the axle reads the speed of the wind.  Wind can be measured in knots, miles per hour, and kilometers per hour.  1 mile equals about 1.6 kilometers  1 knot equals about 1.15 mph

4. What is the wind chill factor?  The wind chill factor is increased cooling caused by wind.  A blowing wind may make the temperature feel lower than it really is.  The stronger the wind, the colder it can make you feel.

5. What is a Local Wind?  A local wind is a wind that blows over a short distance. It is caused by unequal heating in a small area.

6. What are Land and Sea Breezes?  During the day, cool air from the ocean goes under warm air on land and creates a sea breeze.  At night, cool air from land goes under warm air from the ocean and creates a land breeze.

7. Why is wind important?  Wind affects transportation, (like sailing) seed dispersal, erosion, and can be used as a power source.

8. Facts About Wind  The direction of wind can be determined by a wind vane.  Winds are named according to the direction they come from. For instance, a wind blowing from south to north would be called a south wind.  The fastest wind speed ever recorded was 231 mph in 1934, on Mount Washington, New Hampshire.