4 ms·
Regarding the earth's rotation, this webpage disagrees: https://climate.ncsu.edu/edu/Drivers https://climate.ncsu.edu/edu/Drivers "The rotation of the earth do
by bcatanzaro 7y ago
Regarding the earth's rotation, this webpage disagrees:
https://climate.ncsu.edu/edu/Drivers https://climate.ncsu.edu/edu/Drivers
"The rotation of the earth does have an effect on the direction of the wind, but it does not create it. Wind is primarily driven by differences in air pressure. These variations in air pressure are due to temperature differences caused by variations in solar energy received at the surface of the earth."
- sprash 7y agoConservation of angular momentum doesn't care about the origin of those winds. If you harvesting net average west wind you are slowing down earths rotation.
- pfdietz 7y agoI think you need to retake that physics course where you learned about conservation of angular momentum. Use of wind energy has zero effect on the total angular momentum of the Earth + atmosphere. It might cause a glitch as it ramps up and reduces average wind speed, but after that conservation of angular momentum ensures it cannot cause any further change.
- sprash 7y agoIt is more complicated than that. The effect is minuscule and won't matter for the next million years.
- pfdietz 7y agoSo, are you claiming wind can change the total angular momentum of the Earth + atmosphere?
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- sprash 7y agoYes because Earth is not a closed system. If you reduce the speed of rotation and radiate the acquired Energy into space the total angular momentum (in the universe) stays the same but the angular momentum of only Earth + atmosphere changes.
- pfdietz 7y agoTides, I could see, maybe. But wind? How is this going to have any non-negligible effect? The gravitational coupling of the atmosphere to the Sun or Moon is small. The transport of angular momentum from the Earth by radiation is very small, and the change in that due to changes in wind is even smaller.