Origins

Wind is caused by differences in temperature on the earth. Oceans and other large bodies of water heat and cool at a different rate than large bodies of land. This causes differences in pressure which are called pressure gradients. Air moves from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure and creates wind.

Because the earth is rotating, wind traveling from the equator to the North Pole always curves to the right. On the bottom half of the world, the wind curves to the left. This is called the Coriolis force.

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Last modified: Tue May 12 16:31:31 PDT 1998

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