Wind

In real-life

Why is measuring wind relevant in these real-life situations:

planning a surfing trip for the weekend
a farmer with a crop affected by a plague of insects
a community living on the coastline of northern Australia
reducing greenhouse gases?

Wind is created when air moves from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure. This occurs because the sun heats certain parts of the earth more than others.

Tools for measuring wind include an anemometer, a Beaufort wind scale and a weather vane.

Using an anemometer

An anemometer measures wind speed. It has cups at the top which spin around as they catch the wind. The number of revolutions per minute is registered electronically to give the wind speed.

How to use an anemometer

Using a Beaufort wind scale

Wind has effects on land and sea, for example making trees sway and creating high waves. These effects can be used to estimate the speed of the wind. The scale ranges from calm conditions at zero (0) to a hurricane at twelve (12).

Wind socks showing strength of wind

How to use a Beaufort wind scale (.pdf 120kB)

Using a weather vane

A weather vane indicates wind direction. It is easy to use, but to use one you must know where north, south, east and west are.

Weather vane

The movable part of the weather vane is usually in the shape of an arrow. The arrow will point to the direction the wind is blowing from so if it is pointing to the east, it means the wind is coming from the west. A wind from this direction is called a westerly.

Find out more

Go to the Riverina Environmental Education Centre for more information about wind.

Quiz question

Which place on earth has the fastest wind speeds?