Section 3: Winds
Wind: the horizontal movement of air
Anemometer : instrument used to measure wind speed
Wind-chill factor : increased cooling caused by the wind
Wind Vane: an instrument used to measure the direction of the wind (points in the direction the wind came from)
Local winds: winds that blow over short distances
Sea Breeze: wind that blows from an ocean or lake onto land
Land Breeze: wind that blows from the land to an ocean or lake
Monsoons: sea or land breeze over a large area that change directions with the seasons
Global winds: winds that blow over long distances
Coriolis Effect: the way Earth’s rotation causes global winds to curve
Latitude: distance from the equator, measure in degrees
Jet streams: band of high speed winds 10km above the Earth’s surface
Important Facts:
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All winds are caused by differences in air pressure.
 Local winds are caused by unequal heating of Earth’s surface within a small area.
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The movement of air between the equator and the poles produces global winds.
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The major global wind belts are the trade winds, the prevailing westerlies, and the polar easterlies.
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Winds are named for the direction they blow from
During the day the land gets warmer than the water. This unequal heating causes the air above the land to become warmer than the air over the water. This air over the land rises because the molecules have more heat, are moving quicker, and spread apart. This causes the air to become less dense. As the air rises the cool air above the water moves in to replace it. This causes the wind to move horizontally from the sea to the land. This is an example of a convection current.