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Wind blows due to air-pressure gradients that are the result of the uneven heating of the
Earth's atmosphere. Prevailing winds blow in a consistent direction over large areas of
the Earth's surface, while local winds are dependent upon regional geography.
The Earth's curvature and tilt upon its axis cause the sun to heat the atmosphere
unevenly. This results in some regions of the world having warmer air and others having
cooler air. Warm air expands and increases the space between air molecules, creating a
high-pressure system. In cool air, molecules are more tightly packed, and the air
pressure is lower. Air molecules naturally flow from areas of low pressure to high
pressure, so there is a natural movement of air between different areas in the Earth's
atmosphere. This movement is responsible for wind.
Because large regions of the Earth experience seasonal changes in temperature, they
also experience predictable wind patterns. These patterns are the prevailing winds. The
trade winds are easterly prevailing winds in the tropics. The westerlies prevail in the
middle latitudes.
Some regions of the world also experience local winds. These occur due to regional
geographic features, such as water bodies and mountain ranges. Large bodies of water
heat up to a higher temperature than the land, and lowlands become warmer more
quickly than mountaintops. These temperature patterns create localized air flows from
cooler to warmer areas.
Heat's effect on the wind cycle is most easily observed near the sea. During the day, the
ocean absorbs heat from the surface, keeping the air above it cooler than above the
land. When the warm air rises from the shore, the cooler air from the ocean blows in to
take its place. At night, the land cools quickly, while the ocean radiates the heat it
absorbed, keeping the air above warm. This reverses the effect, causing the air offshore
to rise and creating a breeze from the land. Uneven heating can also occur due
geographical features. A mountainside exposed to the sun will warm more than a
shadowed valley below it, creating a wind that blows uphill during the day and downhill
at night.
The same principle is responsible for global wind patterns. The Polar Regions receive
less solar radiation than areas near the equator, resulting in a global shift in temperature
according to latitude. This, along with differences in temperature and density in various
layers of the atmosphere, creates global wind patterns like the jet stream that help drive
weather systems.