Name: Direction of Wind Movement
Uploaded: 2019-07-19
Duration: 9 min 2 s
Description: Here we will study how winds are formed and different types of winds. By doing so, we will understand the pressure belts existing over the earth and how one...

Question

Explain how a wind is set up in the atmosphere.

Accepted Answer

The wind is the movement of air (usually in a horizontal direction) in the atmosphere. It is caused by a difference in temperatures between different regions on the Earth. This temperature difference occurs mainly because of the uneven heating of different parts of the Earth’s surface by the sun. Thus, the air absorbs different amounts of heat, making it warm in some places and cool in other places. As the air gets warmer, its particles (molecules) spread out. That means air expands on heating. This makes the air lighter or its density decreases. Hence, it rises. As the air cools, it becomes heavier, or its density increases, and it sinks. As warm air rises, air from cooler areas flows in to take the place of the rising air. This sets up a current of air, and we call it wind. The heating and cooling on Earth happens very regularly with a change in seasons. This sets up seasonal winds such as the monsoon winds. During the summer, the land (in places close to the equator) becomes very hot compared to the ocean. Then the air over the land gets heated and rises, and cooler rain-bearing winds from over the ocean blow towards the land. These seasonal rain-bearing winds are called monsoon winds.

Explain how a wind is set up in the atmosphere.

Important Questions on Wind and Storm

Learn and Prepare for any exam you want !