Curious About Wind

PODCAST 120: CURIOUS ABOUT WIND
RELEASE DATE:  JANUARY 17TH, 2021

D:  HELLO, AND WELCOME BACK TO THE CURIOUS KID PODCAST.  IF YOU LISTENED TO EPISODE 109 ON WINDMILLS, AND OF COURSE YOU LISTENED, YOU LEARNED A LOT ABOUT WINDMILLS.  THE PURPOSE OF WINDMILLS IS TO CREATE ENERGY.  IN ORDER TO DO THAT, THERE NEEDS TO BE WIND, JUST ABOUT ALWAYS, AND THERE IS.  BUT HOW DOES THAT WORK?  LET’S LEARN MORE.

O:  MAILBAG!

D:  MAILBAG!

“ HI OLIVIA,

MY NAME IS QUINN, AND I AM FROM BLOOMINGTON, MINNESOTA (NEAR MINNEAPOLIS).  I AM 6 YEARS OLD!  WE LOVE YOUR PODCAST!  MY DAD, SISTER, AND I LISTEN TO IT EVERY DAY WHEN I AM PICKED UP FROM SCHOOL.  SOME OF OUR FAVORITE EPISODES WERE CURIOUS ABOUT WATERFALLS AND CURIOUS ABOUT ROLLERCOASTERS!  AND I AM VERY CURIOUS ABOUT WIND.  I WANT TO KNOW WHERE WIND COMES FROM, AND HOW IT STARTS!  KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!

QUINN (AND HER DAD NEIL)”

O:  QUINN, THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE E-MAIL.  WE ARE GETTING CURIOUS ABOUT WIND FOR YOU THIS WEEK. 

D:  I’M SURE, LIVING IN MINNESOTA, QUINN HAS SEEN LOTS OF WINDY DAYS.  WHAT’S THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK?

O:  THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK IS, WHAT IS AN ANEMOMETER?

D:  HMMM… THAT’S AN INTERESTING ONE.  I’LL TELL YOU WHAT’S INTERESTING ABOUT ANEMOMETERS.  I’VE SEEN THEM BEFORE, LOTS OF TIMES, BUT NEVER KNEW THAT THEY WERE CALLED ANEMOMETERS.  DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT?  WHILE YOU’RE THINKING, LET’S GET CURIOUS.

O:  WIND IS ACTUALLY CAUSED BY THE SUN.  WITHOUT THE SUN, WE WOULD HAVE NO WIND.  

D:  THAT’S BECAUSE THE SUN HEATS THE EARTH UP, BUT IT HEATS THE EARTH UP UNEVENLY, WHICH MEANS THAT IT MAKES SOME PLACES WARMER THAN OTHERS.  

O:  WHEN AIR HEATS UP, IT BECOMES LIGHTER AND LESS DENSE.

D:  BECAUSE THE HOT AIR IS LIGHTER THAN THE COLD AIR, IT RISES UP.  WHEN THAT HAPPENS, THE COLD AND HEAVY AIR RUSHES IN TO FILL IN THE SPOTS THAT THE HOT AIR LEFT BEHIND… THAT’S HOW WIND IS FORMED.    

O:  WHY DOES THE COLD AIR NEED, TO FILL IN THE SPOTS LEFT BY THE HOT AIR?

D:  BECAUSE, IN NATURE, THINGS TEND TO MOVE FROM AREAS OF HIGH PRESSURE TO AREAS OF LOW PRESSURE.  LET ME EXPLAIN.  COLD AIR IS HEAVIER THAN WARM AIR.  ON A HOT DAY WITH THE SUN SHINING, SOME OF THE COLD AIR STARTS TO TURN INTO WARM AIR, AND BECAUSE THAT AIR IS NOW WARMER AND LIGHTER, IT STARTS TO RISE.  WHAT HAPPENS IS THE AIR UP TOP GETS CROWDED AND PRESSURE RISES.  THE COLDER AIR WANTS MORE SPACE TO ROAM, SO IT RUSHES DOWN TO FILL IN THE OPEN SPACES.  EVEN PEOPLE DO SOMETHING SIMILAR.  IF YOU GET ON A BUS, AND THE BUS HAS LOTS OF DIFFERENT PEOPLE ON IT, ARE THEY USUALLY ALL SITTING NEXT TO EACH OTHER ON ONE SIDE OF THE BUS, OR DO THEY USUALLY SPREAD OUT AND GET COMFORTABLE?

O:  BUS RIDERS HAVE THE TENDENCY TO SPREAD OUT IF POSSIBLE.  

D:  AND AIR TENDS TO DO THE SAME THING.  WHEN THE AIR TEMPERATURE GOES UP ON A HOT DAY, FORCING THE HOTTER, LIGHTER AIR UP, THE COOLER AIR WANTS TO GO DOWN AND OCCUPY THE SPACES THE HOT AIR USED TO BE IN, SO IT CAN SPREAD OUT… AND BOOM - YOU HAVE WIND. 

O:  THIS WHOLE PROCESS HAS A NAME, AND IT IS CALLED CONVECTION.  

D:  AND BECAUSE THE SUN SHINES EVERY DAY, THERE WILL ALWAYS BE WIND, WHICH IS ONE REASON THAT WIND IS SUCH A GREAT ENERGY SOURCE.  

O:  WIND ALSO HAS OTHER PURPOSES.  IT HELPS BOATS SAIL.  

D:  SAILBOATS WORK WHEN SAILS CATCH THE WIND.  WIND HELPS BOATS MOVE EFFECTIVELY THROUGH THE WATER.  THERE IS ACTUALLY AN AREA CALLED THE DOLDRUMS THAT WRAPS AROUND THE EARTH, NOT FAR FROM THE EQUATOR.  THE WIND IS USUALLY VERY STILL IN THE DOLDRUMS AND THE PRESSURE IS LOW.  HISTORICALLY, THIS HAS RESULTED IN SHIPS GETTING STUCK IN THE DOLDRUMS FOR DAYS OR WEEKS.  OF COURSE, MOTORIZED BOATS DON’T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THE DOLDRUMS SO MUCH.      

O:  WIND IS ALSO NECESSARY TO FLY A KITE.

D:  THAT’S VERY TRUE.  A PERFECT DAY TO FLY A KITE IS A DAY THAT IS BREEZY, BUT NOT TOO GUSTY.  

O:  WIND HAS OTHER IMPORTANT USES ALSO.

D:  AFTER RAIN FALLS, WIND HELPS COLLECT THE WATER FROM THE GROUND AND BRING IT BACK INTO THE ATMOSPHERE.  WIND ALSO HELPS PLANTS MULTIPLY.  IT DOES THIS BY CARRYING SEEDS FROM AN EXISTING PLANT, AND DROPPING THEM ONTO OTHER PARTS OF THE GROUND, WHERE THEY CAN TAKE ROOT AND GROW.  AND, IF THAT’S NOT ENOUGH, WIND HELPS CARRY POLLEN, HELPING TO GROW FLOWERS, AND MANY FRUITS AND VEGETABLES.  

O:  WIND IS OFTEN CATEGORIZED BY DIRECTION AND SPEED.

D:  SO, YOU MIGHT HEAR A METEOROLOGIST SAY SOMETHING LIKE “WINDS NORTHWEST AT 22 MILES PER HOUR”.  THAT MEANS THAT WINDS ARE BLOWING FROM THE NORTHWEST AT A SPEED OF 22 MILES PER HOUR.   

O:  SUSTAINED WINDS OF 74 MILES PER HOUR OR MORE ARE NEEDED FOR A HURRICANE.

D:  THAT’S A VERY STRONG WIND, BUT WINDS OF BETWEEN 74 AND 95 MILES PER HOUR ARE CONSIDERED WEAK, CATEGORY ONE HURRICANES.

O:  THE STRONGEST HURRICANES HAVE WIND SPEEDS OVER 156 MILES PER HOUR.

D:  THOSE ARE CATEGORY 5 HURRICANES.  CATEGORY 5 HURRICANES COULD BE DEVASTATING IF THEY MAKE LANDFALL.  

O:  THE STRONGEST WINDS IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM OCCUR ON NEPTUNE.

D:  ON NEPTUNE, SUSTAINED WIND SPEEDS CAN REACH 1,300 MILES PER HOUR.  THAT’S INCREDIBLE!  OKAY OLIVIA, IT’S TIME TO ANSWER THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK.  WHAT IS AN ANEMOMETER?

O:  AN ANEMOMETER IS A DEVICE THAT MEASURES WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION.  

D:  IN GREEK, THE WORD ANEMOS MEANS WIND.  AND THE SUFFIX -OMETER IS USED FOR SOMETHING THAT MEASURES SOMETHING.  FOR EXAMPLE, A THERMOMETER MEASURE TEMPERATURE AND A SPEEDOMETER MEASURES SPEED… WELL, AN ANEMOMETER MEASURES WIND.  

O:  THERE IS ANOTHER WEATHER INSTRUMENT CALLED A BAROMETER THAT MEASURES AIR PRESSURE.

D:  AIR PRESSURE HELPS METEOROLOGISTS PREDICT THE WEATHER.  SIMPLY PUT, A RISING BAROMETER MEANS THAT THE WEATHER IS IMPROVING AND A FALLING BAROMETER MEANS THAT THE WEATHER IS GETTING WORSE.  

O:  IF THE PRESSURE DROPS SUDDENLY, THAT COULD MEAN THAT A STORM IS ON THE WAY. 

D:  AND IF THE ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE IS STEADY, IT GENERALLY MEANS THAT THERE SHOULDN’T BE ANY DRASTIC CHANGES TO THE CURRENT WEATHER.  

O:  IF YOU WANT TO HAVE FUN WITH THE WIND, YOU SHOULD TRY MAKING A WIND CHIME. 

D:  A WIND CHIME IS AN INSTRUMENT YOU CAN MAKE BY HANGING OBJECTS CLOSE TO EACH OTHER OUTSIDE, SO THAT, WHEN THE WIND BLOWS, BEAUTIFUL SOUNDS ARE MADE.  MAKING A WIND CHIME IS A SUPER-FUN CRAFT.  IT ALSO ALLOWS YOU TO BE VERY CREATIVE.  

O:  YOU CAN HANG THINGS LIKE BEADS, OR METAL CANS, OR BOTTLE CAPS.

D:  THEN YOU CAN SIT BACK AND ENJOY THE MUSIC YOUR CREATION MAKES WHEN THE WIND BLOWS.  WELL, THAT’S A WRAP FOR THIS WEEK’S EPISODE.

O:  120 - WIND.

D:  GREAT JOB OLIVIA, AND GREAT JOB QUINN FOR THE EASY BREEZY TOPIC SUGGESTION.  IF YOU LOVE CURIOUS KID PODCAST, THERE IS SOMETHING YOU CAN DO THAT WOULD REALLY HELP US OUT.  ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS TELL A FRIEND ABOUT US.  CHECK OUT HOW EASY IT IS.

O:  HEY JAKE, HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT CURIOUS KID PODCAST.  EVERY WEEK, THEY LEARN ABOUT DIFFERENT THINGS.  IT’S SO FUN TO LISTEN TO AND YOU CAN LEARN A LOT.  

D:  THAT WAS SIMPLE.  WE LOVE DOING WHAT WE DO, AND WE’VE BEEN DROPPING KNOWLEDGE ON YOU EVERY WEEK FOR 120 WEEKS IN A ROW.  IF YOU LOVE LISTENING TO US, PLEASE BE SURE TO TELL YOUR FRIENDS.  WORD OF MOUTH HELPS US GROW AND ENSURES THAT CURIOUS KID PODCAST WILL BE AROUND FOR A LONG TIME.  NEXT WEEK, WE WILL GET CURIOUS ABOUT WHALES FOR A LISTENER IN WESTFIELD, NEW JERSEY.  AS ALWAYS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LISTENING AND GETTING CURIOUS WITH US.