Name: K Ward
Status: Other
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Question:
What makes wind?
Replies:
The wind is a fluid current set up by differing areas of pressure.
More simply, if there exists a high pressure area in the atmosphere and there
is a neighboring low pressure area, air will flow between the two to try and
equalize the pressures. The air flow is what we call wind. This is a very
simplified explanation, but it works in a similar manner for liquids except
that it is density driven instead of pressure driven.
Woodford
To follow on the last response, high air pressure just means there
are more molecules of air (02,N2,etc.) piled up there than in an area of low
pressure. Thus the molecules "flow down hill" to the area of low pressure. You
feel it as wind because molecules have mass so if enough of them bump into
you, you feel it. The low pressure and high pressure areas usually form from
differential heating. Hot air expands and rises and molecules flow away from
it to colder areas and collect there.
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