[burkhartdesu]

Originally Posted by noodle

Scientists can’t even prove that wind is real! According to the methods of science, you can’t prove it because we only see its effects, not its origin!

Very interesting question. The temperature differences caused differential heating of atmosphere cause convection in the atmosphere(eg at the coast, the air over the land heats faster during the day than it does over the sea). The convection currents lead to high and low pressure zones at the earths surface and the wind we can feel at the earths surface is part of the convection cycle supporting these airflows.

Interestingly, if we were on a planet that didn’t rotate these pressure differences would equalise quite quickly. However, because the earth rotates, the air moving over the surface is deflected(to the right in the northern hemisphere and to the left in the southern hemisphere). This is due to the coriolis force created by the earths rotation(which also affects tides). This deflection makes the presure differences “longer lived” and we get the familiar depressions(low pressure) and anticyclones (high pressure) structures.


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