Science & Nature

The versatile windsock has a wide array of uses and a long history. Seen waving in the breeze at airports and in several celebrations, these tubes of fabric are common.

People have used the wind as an energy source in many aspects of daily living. It has pushed sailboats across the sea for centuries and has powered windmills which in turn pump water or grind...

Wind speed has been measured for centuries using classic devices like the anemometer. But wind pressure is slightly different and requires more advanced devices to monitor. Fortunately, the laws...

Tropical depressions don't always evolve into hurricanes, but they are indicators that conditions are ripe for a hurricane to develop. The most active months for tropical depressions to form in...

Wind energy is mechanical or electrical energy generated by harnessing the power of the wind. According to the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory, one of the earliest devices to harness...

Wind turbines are used to capture wind and convert the kinetic energy (energy generated through motion) into mechanical or electrical power. Most turbines are used in wind farms to generate bulk...

The jet stream can best be thought of as a river of wind that moves through the Earth's troposphere. Usually going from west to east, this stream of moving air can be extremely powerful, moving on...

Climate describes the overall tendencies over a long period of time with respect to the "average" weather in a given location. Weather, on the other hand, is what's happening around you. When it...

While wind turbines provide a promising alternative form of energy, they can also have an impact on surrounding land and neighboring inhabitants and on existing electricity providers. For this...

You could spend money on the various instruments needed to create your own weather station--or make one from things you can find around the house. Building your own weather instruments will help...

First detected by instruments aboard spacecraft in the 1950s and 1960s, the solar wind is made up of charged particles streaming away from the Sun. The solar wind originates in the Sun's corona,...

Windmills have been used for thousands of years to harness the power of the wind to perform mechanical work and, more recently, to generate electricity.

The search for alternative sources of power has increasingly focused on green sources. Nuclear power is only one of these technologies. Solar, wind, hydroelectric and geothermal power are viable...

Who hasn't seen the futuristic movie "WaterWorld"? After global warming has affected the earth's atmosphere, and icebergs have all melted, this fictional movie demonstrates future homes and cities...

Recent concerns about climate change have created an increase in the use of renewable energy sources. Wind energy is one of the most environmentally friendly forms of energy generation. Wind...

Weather maps provide a variety of information on the weather. Some weather maps show cloud cover; some show wind direction and air pressure. Scientists use weather maps to display and analyze data...

Wind generators come in two general types: horizontal-axis ("propeller") and vertical-axis ("Darrieus"). Regardless of type, both use a mechanism called an "airfoil" to convert the linear force...

Just like the lyrics in the popular Bob Dylan song, you do not need a weatherman to tell you which way the wind blows. All you need is a weather vane. These practical devices have adorned the...

An ocean current can be defined as continuous directed movement of water guided by the earth's rotation, wind, temperature and salinity and caused by the tides. Ocean currents are a key element in...

Ocean currents are some of the mightiest and most important cycles on the planet. They carry vast amounts of heat and water to various locations across the Earth, providing the continual changes...

Electricity is something that would be hard to imagine living without. It can easily be taken for granted, not knowing how exactly it is made. The truth is that power can be generated from many...

Wind turbines are a perfect way for anyone to produce renewable energy at home. Building a wind turbine in your back yard or on your rooftop will channel the force of the wind into electricity. As...

Alternative energy is an ongoing concern, and for some people, finding a way to harness alternate sources of electricity becomes an important task. Some will spend money on expensive solar panels,...

Nuclear energy was once heralded as the solution to many of the world's problems. It was seen as an easy and safe source of almost limitless power. However, we have learned that nuclear power,...

Anemometers are meteorological instruments used to measure wind speed. There are two types of anemometers: pressure and velocity. However, since an increase in pressure means an increase of...

Solar wind is a stream of protons and electrons that travels through space at high speeds as plasma. It is caused through coronal heating of the sun. The heating of the corona causes it to...

Solar power has the potential to be a major source of energy in the 21st century. While much interest has recently been generated around solar power, there are other alternatives available. Some...

Wind tunnels are structures used in aerodynamic research that enable scientists to study the effects of air on stationary objects. This is useful in the manufacturing of airplanes and cars, as...

Weather vanes first appeared more than two thousand years ago. They let people know the direction the wind came from and served as an early meteorological tool. These devices consist of two...

Wind is simply the movement of the air that surrounds us. Air is classified as a fluid, and it flows as such. When it moves in any way, we call this movement wind. The faster the movement, the...

A weather vane is a device used for determining the direction the wind is blowing. Weather vanes have been used since ancient times and have graced the steeples of grand cathedrals and the roofs...

An anemometer is a device used to measure the speed of the wind. As with many scientific inventions, it's hard to pinpoint the first person to invent an anemometer. Sometimes the first inventor...

Small, residential wind turbines are becoming increasingly popular due to their availability and efficiency. Most residential wind turbines are not the sole source of power for a home but rather...

A wind turbine can transform the power of wind into a usable form of energy. The wind turbine creates energy from wind by capturing the force of the wind and, through mechanical application,...

Building a small wind turbine to generate power or pump water involves three or more curved vanes centered around a propeller shaft that turns as a prime driver for equipment. The ideal materials...

Pollen is the sticky grain produced by the anthers or stamen of a flower. It is considered to be the male component that is transferred to the female stigma of a plant, allowing for reproduction...

Wind-driven currents are caused by the return of large circulation cells, of which there are three between the equator and the poles. Find out how circulation cells also move heat over the planet...

Latitude can affect climate through circulation, and the wind bands known as trade winds differ depending on latitude. Discover how the movement of weather systems is controlled by large wind...

While green used to be just another color, now it is a movement based on eco-friendliness and sustainability. There are overwhelming facts and figures indicating that by "going green" we can help...

The source of all solar energy on Earth comes from Sol (the sun), the star at the center of the solar system. The core temperature of the sun is approximately 27,000,000 degrees Fahrenheit. This...

Though economics still favor power derived from coal, uranium, and petrochemicals, people are seeking to replace these wherever possible with cleaner alternatives. Solar, wind, and other...

When I was a kid we used to go to a cabin in the summer, with no washer and no dryer. Laundry was hand-washed and hung on the line to dry, and my mother was always happy when there was a stiff...

Smooth, stable and stagnant air is a relatively rare phenomenon in the Earth's atmosphere. Some areas of air, which may be as large as several hundred miles or as small as a single county, are...

Chosen more for their price than their prudence, traditional methods of generating electricity are odorous, dirty and smoky affairs that have often left the adjacent land, air and water...

Soil erosion has been accelerated in many areas of the world due to poor cultivation, overgrazing and the stripping of the land. Today, soil erosion is one of the most critical environmental...

The way the wind turns the blades of a windmill begins with the wind striking the angled faces of the blades. The angle of the blades deflect the wind to the left or right depending on which way...

An ancient tool for determining wind direction, a wind vane can help predict approaching weather patterns; estimate the intensity and direction of oncoming gusts; and provide assistance for...

Wind turbines create electrical energy from the moving force provided by the wind, which is created by temperature differentiations throughout the atmosphere. These temperature differences cause...

The United States overtook Germany in 2008 and became the world leader in wind energy, according to the American Wind Energy Association. Many Americans are choosing to invest in a wind turbine...

When the weather is calm, it is not necessary to worry about the wind, but wind is a very powerful force that can cause massive destruction. Meteorologists have devised tools to measure the wind...