Why Does the Wind Blow?

October 09, 2009

by Leticia

We feel wind every day, but do you really know what it is or how it is caused? 

Wind is air whose movement is caused by the sun. When the Earth spins on its axis, its tilt causes the sun to hit parts of the globe providing direct sunlight while other parts of the Earth receive indirect sunlight. The parts of the Earth that receive direct sunlight heat up. This warms the atmosphere and makes the warm air rise. When warm air rises, cooler air fills in underneath. Eventually the warm air cools off and sinks backs down to Earth's surface. The warm air moving up and down and the cool air filling in is the movement that causes wind. 

If you think you have never heard of warm and cold air, think about the weather report and your lobal meteorologist talking about high and low pressure systems. Pressure systems are just the fancy terms that describe warm and cool air. A high pressure system refers to the warm air while the low pressure is the cool air that moves in underneath.

Now go outside to feel the wind on your face and relish in the fact that you now know that it comes courtesy of those high and low pressure systems!

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