WIND SYSTEM
➢ The wind is the result of an interaction between
the sun's energy and the Earth. But our planet is
not uniform - land and water are distributed
unevenly.
➢ The unequal heating of the surface of the planet,
i.e., the temperature differences between the
Equator and the Poles, combined with the Earth's
rotation, is responsible for the creation and
development of six major air circulation patterns,
three in each hemisphere.
➢ Because it receives the sun's most direct rays, the
Equator has the globe's warmest temperatures.
➢ On the opposite ends, the two
Poles receive the most dispersed
radiation, i.e., extremely low
temperatures.
➢So, there's high pressure on the
Poles (cold air) and low pressure on
the Equator (warm air).
➢What happens is that hot air in the
Equator rises and moves toward the
Poles, while the cooler air at the
Poles sinks and travels toward the
Equator, creating a continuing wind
system.
FORCES AFFECTING THE VELOCITY AND DIRECTION OF
WIND
• PRESSURE GRADIENT FORCE
• FRICTIONAL FORCE
• CORIOLIS FORCE
1. It deflects the wind to the right
direction in the northern hemisphere and to
the left in the southern hemisphere.
2. The deflection is more when the wind
velocity is high.
3. The Coriolis force is directly
proportional to the angle of latitude.
4. This is known as Farrel’s law. It is
maximum at the poles and is absent at the
equator.
Polar Easterlies
➢ Polar easterlies are dry, cold prevailing winds that blow from the east.
They emanate from the polar highs, areas of high pressure around the
North and South Poles. Polar easterlies flow to low-pressure areas in
sub-polar regions.
Westerlies
➢ Westerlies are prevailing winds that blow from the west at mid
latitudes. They are fed by polar easterlies and winds from the high-
pressure horse latitudes, which sandwich them on either side.
Westerlies are strongest in the winter, when pressure over the pole is
low, and weakest in summer, when the polar high creates stronger
polar easterlies.
➢ The strongest westerlies blow through the “Roaring Forties,” a
wind zone between 40 and 50 degrees latitude in the Southern
Hemisphere.
➢ Throughout the Roaring Forties, there are few landmasses to
slow winds. The tip of South America and Australia, as well as
the islands of New Zealand, are the only large landmasses to
penetrate the Roaring Forties.
➢ The westerlies of the Roaring Forties were very important to
sailors during the Age of Exploration, when explorers and
traders from Europe and western Asia used the strong winds to
reach the spice markets of Southeast Asia and Australia.
Horse Latitudes
➢ The horse latitudes are a narrow zone of warm, dry climates
between westerlies and the trade winds. Horse latitudes are
about 30 and 35 degrees north and south. Many deserts, from
the rainless Atacama of South America to the arid Kalahari of
Africa, are part of the horse latitudes.
Trade Winds
➢ Trade winds are the powerful prevailing winds that blow from
the east across the tropics. They have been instrumental in the
history of exploration, communication, and trade.
➢ Ships relied on trade winds to establish quick, reliable routes
across the vast Atlantic and, later, Pacific Oceans. Even today,
shipping depends on trade winds and the ocean currents they
drive.
Doldrums
➢ The Inter-Tropical
Convergence Zone also called
as doldrums is a belt around
the Earth extending
approximately five degrees
north and south of the
equator.
➢ Moreover, due to earth’s axis
tilt the extent slightly shift
towards south during the
winter of the northern
hemisphere.
➢ On the contrary, it slightly
shifts towards the north
during the summer of the
northern hemisphere.
PERIODIC WINDS(SEASONAL WINDS)
MONSOON WINDS
➢ The word ‘Monsoon’ has been derived from the Arabic word
‘Mausim’ meaning season.
➢ The winds that reverse their direction with the change of
seasons are called monsoon winds. During summer the
monsoon winds blow from sea towards land and during
winter from land towards seas.
➢ India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar(Burma), Sri Lanka,
the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal, South-east Asia, North
Australia, China and Japan are important regions where
monsoon winds are prevalent.
LOCAL WINDS
➢ Differences in the heating and cooling of earth surfaces and
the cycles those develop daily or annually can create several
common, local or regional winds.
➢ Local winds usually affect small areas and are confined to the
lower levels of the troposphere.
1. SEA AND LAND BREEZES
➢ During daytime, land heats up much faster than water. The air
over the land warms and expands leading to form low pressure.
At the same time, the air over the ocean becomes cool because
of water’s slower rate of heating and results in formation of
high pressure.
• Air begins to blow from high pressure over ocean to the low
pressure over the land. This is called as ‘Sea breeze’.
• At night, the land and the air above it cools more quickly than
the nearby water body. As a result, land has high pressure while
the sea has comparatively a low pressure area. Gentle wind
begins to blow from land (high pressure) towards sea (low
pressure) this is known as land breeze.
MOUNTAIN AND VALLEY BREEZES
➢ A valley breeze develops during the day as the sun heats the land
surface and air at the valley bottom and sides. As the air gets
heated it becomes less dense and begins to blow gently up the
valley sides. This is called as ‘valley wind’
➢ This process reverses at night leading to blow of wind from
mountain top to valley bottom referred to as ‘mountain wind’
DIFFERENT LOCAL WINDS
NAME NATURE OF WIND PLACE
Chinook (Snow eaters) Hot, dry wind The Rockies mountains
Foehn Hot, dry wind The Alps
Khamsin Hot, dry wind Egypt
Siroco Hot, moist wind Sahara to the Mediterranean Sea
Solano Hot, moist wind Sahara to the Iberian Peninsula
Harmattan (Guinea Doctor) Hot, dry wind West Africa
Bora Cold, dry wind Blows from Hungary to North Italy
Mistral Cold wind The Alps and France
Punas Cold dry wind The western side of Andes Mountain
Blizzard Cold wind Tundra region
Purga Cold wind Russia
Levanter Cold wind Spain
Norwester Hot wind New Zealand
Santa Ana Hot wind South California
Karaburun (black storm) Hot dusty wind Central Asia
Calima Dust-laden dry wind Saharan Air Layer across the Canary
Islands
Elephanta Moist wind in monsoon Malabar coast
PYQ MAINS
Q1. Explain the cause of Indian monsoon.(2001)
Q2. Discuss the Distribution of winds and rainfall over Indian in the Summer
Monsoon Season.(2002)
Q3. Major hot deserts in northern hemisphere are located between 20-30 degree
north and western side of the continents. Why? (2013)
[Link] far do you Agree that the behavior of the Indian monsoon has been
changing due to humanizing landscape? discuss.(2015)
Q5. What characteristics can be assigned to monsoon climate that succeeds in
feeding more than 50 percent of the won population residing in Monsoon Asia?
(2017 )
Q6. What do you understand by western disturbances? how its effect Indian
Climate? (2019)