9. Global Wind Patterns
Expedition Menu
1. Introduction
2. Ocean Temperature
3. Circulation
4. Atmospheric Heat
5. Heat and Pressure
6. Atmospheric Pressure
7. Air Pressure and Wind
8. Wind Directions
9. Global Wind Patterns
10. Measuring Circulation
Motions of air in the atmosphere, in the form of wind, create a stress on the surface of the ocean, which in turn, provides for the transfer of momentum to the water below!
Stress is defined as force per unit area and in measured in units of dynes/centimeter2
The red arrows in the diagram below indicate very strong winds, creating stresses greater than 1 dynes/cm2 . (cm = centimeter; 2.54 cm = 1 inch)
Also note how the wind directions form circular paths around high pressure systems, as the wind blows away from the high pressure it is deflected due to the Coriolis effect.
Courtesy of Shinzou Fujio with dataset published by Oregon State University (Han and Lee, 1981).
Last Updated on
October 24, 1998
Send to Don Reed
Department of Geology
San José State University
