Wind is a meteorological phenomenon produced by natural causes, just like rain or snow and it's the responsible for the movement of air in the troposphere, which is one of the four layers in which the terrestrial atmosphere is divided and that fundamental one when it comes to the respiration of living beings. The meeting of various pressures in different areas is what produces the current of air or wind.
Basically the origin of the winds is given by the movements of translation and rotation of the earthIn turn, they are also the ones that also cause important differences in terms of solar radiation, especially long-wave radiation that is indirectly absorbed by the atmosphere thanks to the diathermic property that the air has and that makes solar radiation only hot. indirectly the atmosphere since the sun's rays can pass through it but without heating it. But the heat rays (infrared) reflected by the terrestrial and aquatic surfaces are those that will manage to heat the air, giving rise to the movement of the air, that is, the wind.
Also the uneven heating of the air causes differences in pressure that can sometimes translate into winds.
Types of winds
According to the scale or dimension of the path of the winds, we will have 3 different types of winds: planetarium, local and regional.
The planetariums are generated pre-eminently by the movements of the earth's rotation that in turn originate the uneven heating of the atmosphere, while the regional and local ones will have a similar origin to the previous ones but will be mainly determined by characteristics that occur in each particular place. Even more, and depending on the place, these types of local or regional winds are usually more important than those of the planetary type. These include: sea and land breezes, valley breezes, mountain breezes, catabatic and anabatic wind.
In tato, it is also possible to find indigenous winds from a particular geographical area, for example in Argentina we find ourselves
to the Pampero, the Zonda and the Sudestada and in Mexico the North.
Wind intensity. Types
When the wind blows very hard for a short or intermittent period it is referred to as burst, precisely because of the speed with which it manifests itself and then disappears. The squalls on the other hand, they are strong winds that last very little, generally a minute. Meanwhile, long-duration winds have different names depending on the force they present, such is the case of: breeze, hurricane, typhoon.
Wind measurement
There are several instruments that allow determining the direction in which the wind will blow, among them we can distinguish the weather vane, a device consisting of a cross that rotates and has the cardinal points arranged; It will be placed in the highest places of the building and for the side that turns we will know in the direction that the wind blows.
The anemometer It is another instrument that allows to measure the same, although it is much more modern than the previous one.
Wind, source of wind energy
Among the benefits of the wind, we must undoubtedly mention the ability to Energy production, formally called wind power. Wind energy is then caused by air currents and in our days such energy is fundamentally used for produce electrical energy.
It should be noted that wind energy is found in abundance in our nature and it is a renewable resource, that is, it is achieved from natural and inexhaustible sources such as the wind in the case at hand.
Another of its great advantages is that it is a clean energy, which fortunately contributes in reducing the spread of greenhouse gases, for example, it is also popularly called green energy.
However, among its disadvantages should be mentioned the intermittency that the wind presents and that of course ends up damaging the supply of this energy.
Secondly, wind plays a very important and decisive role as a transport agent, for example in the displacement of the seeds that are sown in the field.
Disadvantages of the wind
But not everything is beneficial in terms of wind and for this reason it is important to mention that the wind, especially that which shows a notable speed and force, can become a serious threat to the integrity of people and also of infrastructures. In cases such as typhoons, the speed that the wind can reach, more than three hundred kilometers per hour, may be able to remove a house from its roots, let alone drag people. Many times these unusual climatic phenomena are usually accompanied by strong storms that further complicate the outlook.
