Effects of Wind

The presence (and strength) of wind can be noted by the effects it causes.   Examples of these effects include:

1. Psychological effects
2. Physiological effects
3. The rate of evaporation
4. Physical weathering
5. Erosion
6. Beaufort scale

However, what is arguably the most important effect of wind is not so easily observable.   Wind is responsible for redistributing heat and water across the surface of the Earth.   It is a useful analogy for understanding atmospheric processes to think of the earth's atmosphere as a giant engine (i.e., as a device that converts other forms of energy, especially heat, into macroscopic instantiations of kinetic energy), with winds transferring vast quantities of heat and water over the Earth (Gedzelman, 1980, pp. 270-271).

In addition to moderating temperatures, wind also serves to distribute rainfall, cleanse the atmosphere, and even scatter seeds for many plants (Allen, 1983, p. 67).