I always experience winds on our planet and I know it’s caused by different pressure areas. What causes wind to keep perpetually going and not evening out in mostly an equilibrium with the only changes being caused by moving things such as cars.
In: Planetary Science
Ultimately, the fundamental driver of wind is the uneven heating of Earth’s surface. While Earth’s rotation plays a tremendous role in weather, it pressure differences ultimately come down to uneven heating. There are several causes for this.
First, we have the tropics getting more direct sunlight, and thus more heat, than the poles.
Next we have the day-night cycle: one side of the planet is getting heat and light from the sun while the other half is in darkness.
Third, we have different surface materials. Light-colored materials reflect more sunlight and so, all else being equal, won’t heat up as much in sunlight. Some materials have higher heat capacities than others, meaning it takes more energy to heat them up. In general, bodies of water heat up and cool down more slowly than land.
Mountains act as high-level heat sources, resulting in areas that are warmer than the air otherwise would be at such high elevations.
All this uneven heating means there is never a stable equilibrium.
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