Israel Desir Form 4-C

Wind analysis

 Topic: Applications of Heat Transfer in wind systems

 Objective: To explain how wind systems operate by convectional current.

 Activity:
To explain how convectional current is used in each of the following wind systems:
- Land Breezes
Put briefly, land breezes are gusts of air caused by pressure differences between the land and
the sea. This difference in pressure is caused by contrasting temperatures, resulting from the
dissimilar heat capacities of the two. The heat capacity of land is less than water, causing it to
gain or lose heat faster.
With this in mind, a ‘land breeze’ is distinctive because its cooler winds flow towards the sea.
This occurs at night because the land loses the sun’s heat faster. The lower temperature and
higher pressure causes cooler and lower wind. The sea contrasts this high pressure, causing
land
breezes to move towards it.
This is an example of a convection current.

To demonstrate, this observation found on the coastline at night.

Table showing movement of wind relevant to temperature differences

- Sea breezes
Similar to land breezes, sea breezes are caused by differences in pressure, heat capacities and
temperatures.
However, sea breezes contrast these because they blow towards the land.
Following this contrast, water has a higher heat capacity than land. For this reason, sea breezes
occur during the day instead of night.
Put shortly, land heats faster than water, resulting in a lower pressure than water in the same
environment. This higher pressure causes the air above the land to rise, decreasing its pressure.
This contrasts the cooler, higher pressured sea and causes the air to move towards the land.
This is another example of convection current.

For instance, the coastline experiences these features at day-time.

Table showing movement of wind relevant to temperature differences

- Trade winds
Put simply, trade winds are winds that blow from the north-east (northern hemisphere), and
the
south-east (southern hemisphere) towards the equator.
A convection current between these winds are caused from the distribution of the sun’s heat.
The equator receives most of the sun’s heat and air starts to become warm and rise. This rising
of air causes the equatorial area to become low pressured.
Inversely, the sub-tropics receive less sunlight and are colder than the tropics. This creates a
zone
of high pressure.
As a result, the air moves from the high-pressured sub-tropics towards the equatorial low-
pressure zone.

Picture of a global convection current

Harley and Ferrel Cells

Table illustrating wind systems and cells

Harley Cells
These are cells formed by the cycle of rising air cooling and sinking. Then reheating itself and
rising again. In these cells, a convection current is formed because the hot air from the equator
rises and spreads towards the colder poles.
However, as the air rises (10-15km), it cools and sinks at the Tropic of Cancer and Capricorn.
Since the cool air sinks at this zone, it becomes high
pressured despite receiving the sun’s heat.
It then moves towards the low-pressured equator, heats
up, and repeats the cycle.
This creates the Hadley Cell.

Picture showing collision between a warm and

cold air mass

Ferrel Cells
These cells are also formed from the distribution of hot and cold winds.
Unlike Harley Cells, these are formed by the convergence of heated winds from the equator,
and cold winds from the poles. These occur over the sub-tropical zones ( Tropics of Cancer and
Capricorn) and results in the cooling and sinking of the warm air mass. The warm air mass is
over-powered by the cold air mass and the cold troposphere.
When the air sinks it divides into two. The air mass that heads towards the poles becomes cold
and low, this is when it converges with the winds going to the equator from the poles.
 The cold air then rises and diverges since the fronts are
both cold and low.
Masses of air then move towards the poles and some
masses move back towards the equator.
This creates the Ferrel Cell.

Picture showing the convergence of cold fronts

References
King, J. (2017, November 26). Trade Winds, Convection and the Coriolis Effect. Retrieved from
youtube.com: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zPjrb7DEtk

Office, M. (2018, July 13). The Coriolis effect in action. Retrieved from youtube.com:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WB4dxpUS530

Sengupta, A. (2017, November 10). Subtropical high, Subpolar low, Easterlies, Westerlies | Atmospheric
circulation | Pressure belts. Retrieved from youtube.com: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=W2lIUQc5RgQ

Trade Winds. (n.d.). Retrieved from byju's.com: https://byjus.com/physics/trade-winds/

What Are Trade Winds? (2020, June 24). Retrieved from SciJinks.com: https://scijinks.gov/trade-winds/

Closure
This concludes my analysis of winds and convection currents. Thank you for reading.