Why are winds stronger at the poles?

As air is warmed at the equator it becomes less dense and rises, while at the poles the cold air is denser and sinks. 1), with air rising at the equator and sinking at the poles, and the movement of air over the Earth’s surface creating the winds.

Why is it windier at the poles?

Warm equatorial air rises higher into the atmosphere and migrates toward the poles. This is a low-pressure system. At the same time, cooler, denser air moves over Earth’s surface toward the Equator to replace the heated air. Winds generally blow from high-pressure areas to low-pressure areas.

Why is it windy in mountainous areas?

It is windy high up in the atmosphere as the effect of gravity is reduced and cooler because air temperatures decrease as you get closer to the poles. Therefore gale force winds are stronger and more common at the top of mountains than at sea level.

Why is the Arctic so windy?

In the northern hemisphere, the Coriolis force deflects the wind to the right, so that winds circulate in a clockwise direction around high-pressure regions, and counterclockwise around low-pressure regions. Winds tends to be stronger in the Russian Arctic, where there are more storms, than in the Canadian Arctic.

How do mountains affect wind?

Mountains make a barrier for moving air. The wind pushes air, and clouds in the air, up the mountain slopes. Dense masses of warm, moist air that move up and over a mountain swell as the air pressure confining them drops away.

Why is wind speed higher at higher altitudes?

Going up in altitude, the pressure gradient between the warm air and the cold air increases with height. slow the air as it collides into them. The influence of this friction is less with height above the ground, thus the wind speed increases with height.

Why is it windier in the winter?

During fall, winter and spring, it gets extremely cold across the polar region while the tropics remain tropical. This enhanced temperature gradient leads to a stronger Jet Stream and larger air pressure differences between weather systems, both of which lead to more wind in general.

Why are winds stronger at higher altitudes?

How does mountains affect wind?

Is it windier on top of mountains?

Ridge lines of mountains get even more wind, he said, with Mount Washington in New Hampshire holding the record for directly measured surface wind speeds, at 231 miles per hour. But such extremes are mostly found in the higher mountains, around 6,000 feet and above, closer to the jet stream.

Why are there strong winds in Antarctica?

Wind. The strong winds of Antarctica are called katabatics, formed by cold, dense air flowing out from the polar plateau of the interior down the steep vertical drops along the coast. It is at the steep edge of Antarctica that the strong katabatic winds form as cold air rushes over the land mass.

Do mountains cause wind?

Downslope Winds occur when warm/dry air descends rapidly down a mountain side. These are common on the east side of the Rocky Mountains, called Chinook Winds. These winds can blow over 40 mph, and can occur in sudden gusts that are even stronger, which can make driving hazardous.