EESA09H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Anemometer, Gaia Hypothesis, Archean
5 Dec 2017
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Document Summary
General types and characteristics of wind in the universe. Depending on the composition (gaseous), scale and types of forces associated with wind, it can be classified in different ways. For large scale circulation around the universe we can categorize wind as solar wind vs planetary wind. Solar wind primarily consists of charged particles such as protons and electrons. It moves outward from sun to space at a speed one cannot imagine on earth. Solar wind moves at speeds as high as 900 km/s and at a temperature of 1 million degrees (celsius). Luckily solar wind has not much effect on earth. Planetary wind is any wind system that exists on earth due to solar radiation or due to various forces. It is associated with most of the meteorological variables that affect our weather and climate. The focus of our course is on planetary wind.
