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How do global wind patterns affect climate?
Global air currents cause global winds. The winds move air masses, which causes weather. The direction of prevailing winds determines which type of air mass usually moves over an area. For example, a west wind might bring warm moist air from over an ocean.
What global winds are and how they affect the Earth?
The Earth has consistent wind patterns when looked at from a global scale. Global winds are created by both the spin of the Earth (Coriolis effect) and the differences in temperature between the equator and the polar areas. These winds are often grouped together as trade winds, easterlies, and westerlies.
What happens to the Earth if there is no wind?
Even if we survive this the problems don’t stop. The equator will no longer shed its heat as quickly so it will become very warm, mountains may remain cool enough to be habitable but nowhere else will. At the same time the poles, deprived of heat from the equator, will freeze solid.
Why is there so much wind in the ocean?
Wind is a side effect of the uneven heating of Earth. It takes much longer for the Sun to heat the sea than land. This means that the air above the sea has a low pressure while the air above land has high pressure. The contrast of these opposing air pressures causes diffusion to occur.
How does the rotation of the Earth affect wind?
For weather, the effect causes the different air pressures to rush together, and this is what creates wind. Wind and weather patterns are also affected by the rotation of the Earth. This is called the Coriolis effect, and it makes storms swirl clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere and counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere.
How do we explain the pattern of global winds?
The cells on either side of the Equator are called Hadley cells and give rise to the Trade Winds at Earth’s surface. How do we explain this pattern of global winds and how does it influence precipitation?