Copyright © 2020. Multiply each longer line by ten and add five for a shorter line to obtain the wind speed. As air continues to rise, it cools and ultimately moves over the water where it falls, creating an area of high pressure, moving cold air toward the land. At the equator, the widest part of the earth's sphere, there is an area of calm where typically no wind blows. You should still able to see the wind rippling on the surface. Have your students brainstorm ideas about how this investigation question could be investigated. The inner diameter has to contract during deflection. For example, if you are sailing, flying a kite, or deciding where to place a windmill, the wind direction will be your most important piece of information.

However, wind direction, like wind speed, is an important part of weather study and forecasting. Note that wind usually travels horizonally across the earth and is measured on the surface using anenometers and wind vanes and in the upper atmosphere using aircraft reports, among other means, as mentioned by writers at Weather.com. Our most helpful/popular articles will be highlighted for easy browsing. Have your students prepare to demonstrate their devices. Consequently, a wind blowing from the north has a wind direction of 0° (360°); a wind blowing from the east has a wind direction of 90°; a wind blowing from the south has a wind direction of 180°; and a wind blowing from the west has a wind direc… However, when the wind is eastward, it blows from the west towards the east. This article was co-authored by Bess Ruff, MA. Bess Ruff is a Geography PhD student at Florida State University. US Dept of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Weather Service Gray - Portland, ME P.O. The air above the land gets warmer and rises, creating an area of low pressure. Does anyone know how to determine wind direction in … Help your students understand the importance of collecting observations at the same time and in the same place each day. (, Have any of your students seen wind direction indicators or devices? Info! Every good bike rider needs to develop a sixth sense for wind. If you need engineering help, feel free to contact our team. The direction of the wind is determined by various factors including the friction or lack of friction the earth's surface places on it.

Have groups stand widely spaced on the schoolyard, well away from building, while holding their wind pointing devices above their heads. Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. Otherwise, your spring doesn't have much elasticity and will easily take a permanent set or break. References. If you find a wind barb that ends in a triangular flag-shaped pennant, add 20 knots to the wind speed for each pennant. Please fill in one or more fields to narrow down your search. Design an experiment that could be used to test the investigation question. to accompany their demonstration.

Prevailing winds like the trade winds are currents of air which move across the surface of the earth in a generally westward direction.

% of people told us that this article helped them. You can use the interactive tool below to practice applying the recipe for determining wind direction that I described in the video in the previous section: Are you ready to practice? Some portions adapted from original course materials by David Babb and Lee M. Grenci. Being able to determine wind direction from a map of isobars is a key skill from this lesson.