WIND

SYSTEMS
Prepared by: Kecilyn O. Ambrocio

TABLE OF CONTENTS:
INTRODUCTION TO WINDS..................................................
WHAT ARE WINDS?...........................................................
WHAT IS WIND POWER?.....................................................
LAND AND SEA BREEZES....................................................
MOUNTAIN AND VALLEY BREEZES.........................................
CLASSIFICATION OF WINDS.................................................
TYPES OF WINDS............................................................
THE CORIOLIS EFFECT.....................................................
WIND MEASUREMENT.......................................................
IMPORTANT WIND TERMINOLOGY........................................
COOL FACTS AND TIPS ON WINDS
INTRODUCTION TO WINDS
Hold your palm over your nose, and breathe out hard – you must have
felt something from your nose pressing against your palm, yes? You did not
see it, but you clearly felt is what we call “air”.
Now, if you have seen a vacuum cleaner work, you will notice how it
sucks all the little debris, pieces of rubbish and dust in its’ path. Again, that
was air being sucked together with all the little stuff.
Both scenarios have something to do
with air being directed at or pulled from
something. They both have something to do
with air pressure, and the movement of air
from one place to the other. This is not ‘wind’
yet, but we need to understand something
about AIR, so we can have a better
understanding of the lesson on winds.
The earth is surrounded by the atmosphere (a blanket of gases).
These gases extend about 400 miles into the sky above, and it is made up of
nitrogen, oxygen, argon, carbon dioxide, hydrogen and many more others. All
these gases that make up the atmosphere is what we commonly call Air.
Air, like other liquids and gases, are fluids. The particles in these fluids
can move from place to place, typically from a high-pressure area to a low-
pressure area.
REFLECTION:
Did you know? What is the role of air and wind in our life? (5 pts)
 Wind can be
very useful _________________________________________
especially _________________________________________
for energy. _________________________________________
2 _________________________________________

Let us see this
illustration below
showing pressure
and wind direction:
In the diagram above, notice how cool air falls resulting in high
pressure and moving towards regions of low pressure.
Anywhere and each time there are differences in atmospheric
(air) pressure, there will be a wind because air will move from the
high-pressure area to the low-pressure area. It also means that
winds may be even stronger where the difference in the air pressure
is greater.
A good example is how tropical depression forms where warm
air over hot tropical water rises and high-pressure cold air quickly
rushing to fill the space.
Did you know?
 It is known in space study the Neptune and Saturn are
two planets that have the strongest winds. – Source:
Wikipedia
COOL FACTS AND TIPS ON WINDS
WHAT ARE WINDS?
A ‘wind’ is simply the flow of a huge amount of air, usually from a high-
pressure area to low-pressure area.
How are winds formed?
Typically, this begins with the sun’s radiation which is absorbed
differently on the earth’s surface. The earth’s surface is heated differently
because of scenarios like cloud cover, mountains, valleys, water bodies,
vegetation and desert lands.
As a result of this uneven heat, there are bound to be earth surfaces that
vary a lot in temperature. Air on surface with higher temperatures will then
begin to rise because it is lighter (less dense). As the air rises, it creates low
atmospheric pressure. Air on surfaces with cooler temperatures sink (do not
rise). The sinking creates higher atmospheric pressure. This behavior or warm
gases or liquids moving upward and being replaced by cooler particles is called
Convection. The energy moving during convention is called conventional
current.
Important:
Hot air rises and cool air sinks. This brings about spatial
differences in atmospheric pressure caused by uneven heating.
WHAT IS WIND POWER?
Wind is caused by huge convention currents in the Earth’s
atmosphere, driven by heat energy from the Sun. This means as long
as the sun shines, there will be wind.

How do winds form?

This can be explained in simple terms by the daily wind cycle.

The earth’s surface has both land and water. When the sun
comes up, the air over the land heats up quicker than that over water.
The heated air is lighter and it rises. The cooler air is denser and it falls
and replaced the air over the land. In the night, the reverse happens.
Air over the water is warmer and rises and is replaced by cooler air
from land.
 The moving air (wind) has huge amounts of kinetic energy,
and this can be transferred into electrical energy using wind
turbines. The wind turns the blades, which spin a shaft which
connects to a generator and makes electricity. The electricity is sent
through transmission and distribution lines to a substation, then on
to homes, business and schools.
Wind turbines cannot work if there is no wind, or if the wind
speed is so high it would damage them.

Wind turbines are usually sited on high hills and mountain

ridges to take advantage of the prevailing winds.
Just like a windmill, wind energy turbines have been around
for over 1000 years. From old Holland to farms in the United States,
windmills have been used for pumping water or grinding grain.
Did you know…
 The largest wind turbine in the world, located in Hawaii,
stands 20 stories tall and has blades the length of a
football field.
 An average wind speed of 14 miles per hour is needed to
convert wind energy into electricity.
 One wind turbine can produce enough electricity to
power up to 300 homes.
 The first power generating turbine was constructed in
Ohio during the late 1800’s and was used to charge
batteries.
 Wind energy is the fastest growing segment of all
renewable energy sources.

In 2013, about 7.9% (28.4 TWh) of electricity generated in the

UK, for example, came from wind turbines. That amount is enough to
power 6.8 millions homes. The cost of installing wind energy
technology is known upfront, so future prices will be more stable than
energy from coal or gas because those are imported and the prices
change very often.
- Source: The impact of wind energy on UK energy dependence and
resilience, 15 January 2015, Cambridge Econometrics
LAND AND SEA BREEZES
As the names suggest, the two breezes occur along coastal
areas or areas with adjacent large water bodies. Water and land have
different heating abilities. Water takes a bit more time to warm up and
is able to retain the heat longer than land does.
Now let see the two diagrams:

In the day, when the sun is up, the land heats up very quickly
and the air above it warms up a lot more than the air over the water.
The warm air over the land is less dense and begins to rise. Low
pressure is created.
 The air pressure over the water is higher with cold dense air,
which moves to occupy the space created over the land. The cool air
that comes along is called a sea breeze.

In the night, the reverse happens. The land quickly loses its’
heat whiles the water retains its’ warmth. This means the air over the
water is warmer, less dense and begins to rise. Low pressure is
created over the water. Cold and dense air over the land begins to
move to the water surface to replace the warmer rising air. The cool
breeze from the land is called a land breeze.
 LAND BREEZE AND SEA BREEZE:
COMPARISON TABLE
LAND BREEZE
Also known as off-shore wind Also known as on-shore wind
Formed at night
Comes from land
More often experienced
during autumn and winter
months
Weaker breezes
Slower at 5 to 8 knots
Dry winds
Predominant during winter
season
Not that influential to aircraft
operations
Does not significantly
influence temperature
changes
SEA BREEZE
Formed at daytime
Comes from water
More often experienced
during spring and summer
months
Stronger breezes
Faster at 10 to 20 knots
Have moisture
Not that observed during
winter season
Substantially beneficial for
glider pilots
May significantly lower air
temperature
MOUNTAIN AND VALLEY BREEZES
In a similar behavior as land and sea breezes, mountains (hilly)
and surrounding valleys also have breezes called Mountain and Valley
Breezes.

During the day, the air over the mountain slope heats up ore
than the air at the foot of the mountain. The war air over the slope
reduces in density. A low pressure is created at the top of the mountain
and high pressure from the cool air below forces a cool breeze to
move upward. This condition generates a breeze which we call valley
breeze and it is very common during warmer months when there is lot
of heating fro the sun.
 In the night, it is a lot cooler as the sun goes to sleep.
So the air at the upper slope of the mountain cools off very
quickly and becomes dense. A high pressure is created. At this
time, the air at the valley floor is a lot warmer (low pressure)
and is forced to give way to colder air moving down the slope
towards the valley floor. This is called mountain breeze and it
is a lot common in the colder months when there is less
warming from the sun.
 CLASSIFICATION OF WINDS
Winds may be calm, gentle, moderate, strong or gale. Some
countries have slightly different names for each of them and some
even have more classifications between each. Let us look at these
five basic classes.

Calm air
These are generally felt as an airy
condition. This class is not enough even to fly a
feather kite. It is also called light wind and it
has a speed of about 1 km/hr. Calm air will be
noticed by smoke rising vertically from a
chimney. They have a Beaufort Number 0.

Gentle breeze
Gentle breezes have speeds of about
12-20km/hr. They are called Gentle-Moderate
Winds in the USA. Leaves and small twigs
would be constantly moving with gentle
breezes. They have a Beaufort Number 3.
Moderate winds
Moderate winds have speeds of about 20-38 km/hr. They are
enough to fly a kite and keep it going higher and higher. They can
cause moderate waves with whitecaps on the sea and make trees
whistle.

Strong winds
Strong winds are also called gale in the USA. They have
speeds of about 62-74 km/hr. They can cause high waves over the
seas and break off twigs and small branches from trees. They have
a Beaufort Number 8.

Gale winds
Gale winds have speeds of about 75 km/hr and more. They
can be very destructive and they carry lots of broken branches and
twigs from trees. They cause high tidal waves rolling seas. They
can also rip off roofs of building.
Gale winds that progress end up as tornadoes and hurricanes
even though they are formed differently.
 TYPES OF WINDS
Local Winds
Local winds are those that are created as a result of scenery
such as mountains, vegetation, water bodies and so on. They usually
change very often and the weather forecast people talk about this kind
on the TV every day. They can move from mild to extreme winds in just
hours. Good example of local winds are sea and land breezes and
mountain and valley breezes. Local winds cover very short distance.

Besides are
some standard
wind belts with
the white arrows
showing the
direction of
winds, red arrow
showing vertical
rising air and
blue arrow
showing cold
sinking air.
Global Winds
Global winds are really large air masses that are created mainly
as a result of the earth’s rotation, the shape of the earth and the sun’s
heating power.

Doldrums:
This is the very low pressure area along the equator where
prevailing winds are calmest. This low pressure area is caused by the
constant heating of the sun. This belt extends to about 5 degrees north
and south of the equator.

Tropical Easterlies (Trade Winds):

This is the belt extending as far as 30 degrees north and south
latitude of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ).

Horse latitudes:
This is wind belt that forms at about 30 degrees north and south
latitude between the trade winds and the prevailing Westerlies.

Prevailing Westerlies:
This is the belt extending fro 30 degrees to 60 degrees latitude
from the ITCZ.

Polar Easterlies:
This belt covers fro 60 degrees latitudes to the north and south
poles.
THE CORIOLIS EFFECT

To understand the Coriolis Effect, let us first see what is going

on around the Earth with winds. The sun’s effect is strongest at the
equator than the north and south poles. Regions along the equator,
therefore, have the highest temperatures all year round.

Warm, less heavy equatorial air over very large areas rise
high up into the atmosphere. We call this a low pressure system.
What happens? The space is field with cold, dense air, flooding in
from the poles. We call this a high pressure system.

But there is something more to this. Remember the earth is

constantly rotating? Yes. So, as the winds blow from the north and
south towards the equator their flow path is deflected by the earth’s
rotation. When moving objects are viewed in a reference frame
their path looks curved. This is the Coriolis Effect and it is simply
caused the earth’s rotation. This effect makes wind systems on the
southern side of the equator (southern hemisphere) spin clockwise
and wind systems on the northern side (north hemisphere) spin
counterclockwise.
Here is an illustration of
the effect:

Because of this
effect, winds in low
pressure zones are forced
into a circular motion just
as the kind that begins to
for with tropical storms.

The Coriolis Effect also causes winds to swirl around high and
low pressure centers.
Because of the Coriolis Because of the Coriolis
Effect winds around High Effect winds around Low Pressure
Pressure centers swirl centers swirl
CLOCKWISE AND OUT! COUNTERCLOCKWISE AND IN!
 WIND MEASUREMENT
Winds come in a directions or speed. They are measured by
their directions and speeds.
Depending on the cause of the winds, they can blow in many
directions. Some good examples of wind direction are the Easterly
winds which blow from east to west and Westerly winds which blow
from west to east. There are also winds that blow from the north,
southwards and also those from the south blowing northwards.

Anemometers
Anemometers measure the
direction/speed of winds. They
come in different models but use a
similar principles -- cups on a bar!
It simply works like this: the faster
the wind the faster the cups rotate.
The speed of the rotating cups is
measured by a speedometer. Unit
measurement is in km/hr.
The Weather Vane
Another instrument in wind measurement is the wind vane. It
involves a pointer mounted on a vertical shaft. When the wind blows,
the arm sways until the pointer faces the direction of the wind.
Direction – East, West, North, and South.

These days, there are some really cool technology that

meteorologist use to measure air pressure, speeds and direction. But
traditionally, there is an instrument called a Barometer which is made
up of mercury (a special liquid metal) with some reading on it.
Simple, the mercury is pushed up when air pressure increases. The
reading is recorded in inches of mercury (Hg) and they are converted
to millibars (mb) as the data is recorded on maps and other records.
Wind Rose
Wind roses summarize
the occurrence of winds at a
location, showing their
strength, direction and
frequency.

Beaufort Scale
The Beaufort Scale is an empirical measure for describing
wind speed based mainly on observed sea conditions.

Try this!
 Measuring the direction of winds is not hard even for
local winds. Blowing bubbles can easily give you a hint on
the direction of the wind.
IMPORTANT WIND TERMINOLOGY
Front:
This is the boundary between two large air masses. It is the
meeting point between cold dense air and warm light air. At a front,
warm is pushed upwards because of its less density. A front can be
very intense or mild depending on the temperatures of the two air
masses meeting. Air masses with extreme temperatures will produce a
fierce front, where as air masses with little temperature difference will
produce very mild front.

Prevailing Winds:
This is simply a term used for winds that are most frequent in its’
direction and speed over a specific geographic region. Different
geographic areas have different prevailing winds because of the
factors that shape them.

Jet Stream:
This was discovered in 1940’s (during the Word War II). Pilots
noticed that their flying speeds were significantly reduced when flying
against some areas in the upper troposphere. They are very strong
winds.

Beaufort Wind Force Scale:

in 1805, a British Naval Officer invented this scale to measure
wind force. The scale has a reading of 0 up to 12 to classify wind force.
– Source: www.spc.noaa.gov