How Does Uneven Heating Of The Earth’s Surface Produce Wind

Wind Is Caused By The Uneven Heating Of The Earth

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 i heating of different parts of the Earth’s surface by the sun. Thus, the air absorbs different amounts of = heat, making it warm in places and cool in others.

As air gets warmer, its particles spread out. In other words, air expands on heating. This makes the air lighter, or less dense, so it rises. As air cools, it becomes heavier, or more dense, and 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.

How Does Uneven Heating Of The Earth's Surface Produce Wind 1
Directions of air flow

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. Air over the land gets heated and rises, and cooler rain-bearing winds from over the ocean blow towards the land. These rain-bearing winds are called monsoon winds.

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