Winds are fast currents of air moving horizontally. They can be light and barely noticeable, or they can be strong and powerful enough to demolish everything in their path. What is the nature of the wind? What is a "wind rose"? Let's find out.
Wind - what is it?
Wind exists not only on Earth. In the broadest sense, winds are streams of particles. They are present in space and on other planets and consist of matter characteristic of a particular celestial body.
For example, on Neptune it is represented by hydrogen, helium, methane, ammonia and hydrogen sulfide. And the solar wind is represented by radiation streams that are radiated into outer space.
On our planet, winds are air currents that move in a horizontal direction. They appear due to uneven heating of the Earth's surface by the Sun. So, different pressures are formed in different parts of the planet. Air begins to move from an area of high pressure to an area of lower pressure, hence the wind.
Winds are distinguished by strength and speed, scale, impact on nature. Some flows appear suddenly and last for a relatively short time. Others are natural and appear only in a particular region and in a particular period. The graph that shows the mode of air flow in a certain area is a wind rose.
Global winds
Global or prevailing air masses participate in the general circulation of the atmosphere. They blow, as a rule, in one direction and participate in the formation of the climate on Earth. These include trade winds, monsoons, temperate west winds, and polar east winds.
The polar front and the subtropical ridge are peculiar borders. Here the air masses move mainly vertically. In the subtropics, they change direction every six months, coming either from the temperate zone or from the tropics.
Western winds blow within 35-65 latitude. In the Northern Hemisphere they come from the southwest, in the Southern Hemisphere they come from the northwest. They are strong in winter and very weak in summer. These air currents influence the formation of powerful currents in the ocean, carrying the warm waters of the tropics to the poles.
Eastern polar winds are not as strong and regular as the western ones. These are dry masses coming from the northeast in the Northern Hemisphere and the southeast in the Southern.
Trade winds and monsoons are characteristic of tropical regions. They blow all year round from the northeast (above the equator) and southeast (below the equator). Along the equator line between them runs a border of several hundred kilometers. Over the oceans they go without deviations, and near the land they can change direction under the influence of localconditions.
Monsoons are winds that change direction twice a year. In winter, they come from land, bringing dryness and coolness, and in summer, from the oceans, bringing moisture and precipitation. Monsoons are most characteristic of the tropics of Southeast Asia, but they also reach the coastal regions of the Far East. In a weak form, they reach the south and east of subtropical regions.
Local winds
Local or local winds are air masses that form within narrow areas. The most famous of them: breeze, bora, foehn, simum, mountain-valley winds, dry winds, mistral, zephyr, etc. Sometimes they are offshoots of global flows that have acquired slightly different properties in a particular area.
The breeze occurs on the coast of the sea, near lakes and large rivers. It changes twice a day, coming from the side of the reservoir during the day, and from land in the evening. Its speed rarely exceeds 5 m/s. It happens more often in summer, in middle latitudes and is clearly visible only on calm days.
Sumum appears in the deserts from excessive heating of the air and lasts up to two hours. It is foreshadowed by the "singing of the sands", after which a sharp squall and storm begins, carrying hot air and hot sand with dust.
Bora is a strong wind blowing in gusts. It occurs in places where the seashore is surrounded by mountains. The wind appears from the outer side of the mountains and, overcoming an obstacle, falls on the coast in a powerful cold stream. It lasts from one day to a week and can lead to storms and destruction.
Destructive Winds
Some winds can be extremely powerful and powerful. They turn settlements into rubble, sink ships in the ocean, raising waves. They are classified not by the area where they appear, but by strength and characteristics.
Storms and storms are winds with a speed of 20-32.6 m/s (from 9 to 11 points). They periodically occur in various parts of the planet during tornadoes, squalls and cyclones. Squalls are called a sharp increase in the speed and strength of the wind in a matter of minutes. The wind itself can last several hours and be accompanied by a dust storm and a thunderstorm.
Hurricanes and typhoons occur during tropical cyclones. They are stronger than storms and longer than squalls. In fact, these are the same phenomena, but in America the name "hurricane" is accepted, and in Asia - "typhoon". They are accompanied by showers, rising waves. Such winds cause floods, destroy buildings, lift heavy objects and uproot trees.
