The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1882-02-09
About Wind and Wfndstorms.

AUOub NAhu anu -4lE1
Wind has been variously defined as air
in motion, a sensible movement OF D
air with reference to the earth's surface,
etc. The word is usually applied, says
Professor Guyot, to currents OF air more
or less horizontal, though vertical or
slanting currents of air, whether ascend
ing or descending, equally deserve the
name. The horizontal component OF
this movement Of the air is usually that
which is specially referred to by the
term wind, but the powerful vertical
movements that take place in tornadoes
and other severe storms may also be In
cluded under the same subject. says
one authority: In general, a wind Is the
result of an initial, local disturbance OF
the density of the atmosphere, in conse-
quence of which the air is set In motion;
its motion is then modified by the re-
sistance of the earth's surface, and by
the diurnal rotation of the earth about
its axis, and may be p~ropagated into re-
gions far distant from the original seat
of the disturbance. Some winds have,
as indicated, a local or temporary char
acter, while others are very permanent,
or prevail over large areas these latter
are generally spoken of as currents, as
distinguished from the local or tempo
rary movements which retain the desig-
nation winds. Space forbids anything
like q full article OF this Interesting sub
ject, hence We must eondense the points
and give them as notes to the reader to
fill out. It has been ascertained that,
between the latitudes 80 degrees north
and 80 degrees south, the lowest stratum
of air moves westward; between these
parallels and the respective poles, the
resultant motion of the lowest stratum OF
air is eastward. A few observations of
the trails left by shooting stars show that
at heights Of from five to 100 miles, q
great diversity of currents prevails, but
no one direction predominates. The
most importants of the general and Pc
riodical currents are the trade winds
which prevail between the parallels 80
degrees north and 80 degrees south lati-
tude, but attain their full breadth and
force only. in mid-ecean, and are very
materially circumscribed near the East
ern and Western continents. The anti
trades is a term which designates the
current of air that prevails quite uni.
formly above the trade winds, at q height
of 5000 feet or more above the surface
of the earth this current is also known
as the upper-trade, or return-trade, and
seems to be merely the return to the
temperate zones of the air that flowed al
the surface toward the equator. There
are also the monsoons, from a MayleyaT
or Arabic word, signifying seasonal
which comprise all winds that with the
season change their character from being
land winds to sea winds. We have, fur
ther, the day breeze and the nigh
breeze, or ,the land wind and the SCI
wind, which are less pronounced tina,
the monsoons; and there are man.
special winds, which are usually know
by special local names: When current
Of air which are moving in differen
directions meet one another, a whirlinl
motion is impaired to the atmosphere
as the simple illustration of wind carry
ing up dust from the ground shows; an
this movement, only on a large scale, i
a storm, and it is often accompanied b,
rain or snow when the winds thus en-
countering each other are of differen
temperatures. Chicago Inter Ocean.