Is there a wind cycle? Similar to the water cycle? And where does wind come from?

Question

When there is a windy day, the wind that you feel, is it the same wind traveling in a circle, or is it "new" wind coming from wherever wind originates. Like if you set an invisible cord on a 1 square mile radius, the wind being felt, is it just circling, or is it coming from somewhere else? Also, how does wind originate? Where does it come from and how does it form?

Answer 1

yes. Look at the jet stream. also wind patternes discoverers as far as the 1400s use to travel across oceans

Answer 2

Hi,

yes, there is a cyclic motion to the wind. Wind is generated because the earth turns and the atmospheric layer (the air, if you like) 'drags' as the motion of the earth slips 'under the layer'.

The irregularities of the topography of the earth (the mountains, seas, etc.) all serve to unsettle this circulation of air.

Wind is generated because certain areas pile up (high pressure areas) and other leave a thinner than 'normal' layer of air. As the air will always seek to fall back to a level (as with water) air will rush into the 'low pressure areas' and deplete the temporary 'high pressure areas'

It is this constant movement that creates the wind you feel. Winds tend to circle, just as water 'circles' when travelling over stones and rocky river beds.

Certain mountain formations give rise to more or less constantly repeating bouts of similar wind conditions, which give you your 'cycles'. The once dependable winds that sailing ships relied on were called the 'Trade Winds'. These were good examples of wind cycles.

Hope that helps,

BobSpain

Answer 3

Uh, bob spain, you have given us a very good description of the minor contributors to the production of wind. Wind is a horizontal movement of air cause primarily by the difference in temperature between various parts or the Earth.

Cold air sinks and hot air rises. When the rising hot air creates lower pressure, the sinking cold air is pushed it to take its place. Air near the equator rises due to the heat - as it rises, it loses its moisture because it gets colder as it rises. The dryer cool air then sinks and gets warmer as it gets closer to the earth - causing deserts.

The turning of the Earth causes these winds to turn due to the Coriolis effect.

As these main winds traverse the Earth, the conditions explained by bob spain make the local differences we experience.

Answer 4

wind begins when warm air and cooler air come together. As we learned in school warm air rises while cool air sinks. It is this rising and sinking that causes the wind that we feel. depending how drastic the two are in opposition to each other depends on the wine speed, and storms they can produce.