Wind is an atmospheric phenomenon that has accompanied man since the beginning of life. It is present on the surface of the Earth and is a capricious phenomenon, which follows its own order, and it is very difficult to know where it will blow each day.
In turn, the wind is the cause of tides, already allowed, throughout our history, that sailors could go around the world just by following the speed and movement of the wind.
Within our ecosystem, the wind is a very important element. It moves from one place to another, horizontally and is born from the temperature that exists between the land, the sea and the Earth’s rotation.
With the uneven heating that occurs on the surface of the Earth, this generates high and low pressures, leading to an imbalance of the air that surrounds the Earth, giving rise to what we know as wind.
How does the wind form?
We must differentiate between cold air and hot air. Cold tends to move toward the surface and hot moves upward. Between these displacement zones there are usually hundreds of kilometers and are known as cyclonic and anticyclonic areas.
With the different temperatures of the air the wind is produced thanks to the consequence that originate the atmospheric pressures of our planet. When we see that an air mass is heated, it rises to the colder air and takes its place in space. This phenomenon generates the movement of the air and is what we call wind.
Generally, the wind is defined by its direction and intensity. The direction is given to us by the cardinal point of the horizon from which it comes and its intensity is the velocities of the moving air particles.
Circulation
Circulation is very important to understand this atmospheric phenomenon. We find what is known as atmospheric and oceanic circulation. These converge to distribute heat evenly across the planet’s land surface.
Taking into account the latitude, different types of winds and circulations can be produced. For circulation, we find two different types:
On the one hand, the local circulation that is based on the absorption of heat by the land and water and then releasing it. They do it at very different speeds and that is why there are different levels of pressure. These differences in atmospheric pressure is what generates the movements of the air on Earth.
On the other hand, world circulation is generated from the hottest area closest to the Sun : the Equator.
The movement of the air around the Equator is concentrated in the latitudes known as Hadley cells, medium-length cells, and polar cells.
