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Lesson 6 of 14

Where a wind gets started

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6 min

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Sunshine warms the land. The sea stays cooler. Where does a wind begin?

Sea and land are at the same warmth. There is no wind.
Step 1 of 3
  1. Sea and land are at the same warmth. There is no wind.
  2. The land warms. The air over it rises.
  3. Cooler air from the sea moves in.

The rule

Wind begins when warm land makes the air above it rise.

Warm air is lighter, so it rises. This leaves an area of low pressure. Cooler air from a high pressure area moves in. This moving air is wind.

Near the ground, the wind blows towards the warmer patch. Nothing else needs to push the air. The pressure difference moves it.

Warm a patch. See where the wind goes.

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