The definition of magic is said to be “the power of apparently influencing the course of events by using mysterious forces”. As a verb, magic means to “move, change, or create as if by magic.” By these definitions, all of us should think we experience magic nearly every single day. We sometimes experience it as a force moving our hair. We sometimes experience it as a force to sting our cheeks or give us the goosebumps. We sometimes experience it in a more severe way, through damaged houses, fallen telephone poles, or missing objects…however, we’ve come not to call it magic. Instead, we call it wind. To most of us, it would probably make sense if it was still referred to as magic though. It’s literally an invisible force…coming from nowhere…from all sorts of different directions…with a temperature slightly divergent from the immediate climate. So one is reasonably left to wonder, what is wind? What causes it? Where does it come from and why is it so strong?

Explaining wind isn’t quite as simple as one may immediately expect. Obviously, wind is blowing air…but what exactly is the invisible, magical force blowing that air throughout the atmosphere? The answer can be summarized with one word: pressure. Atmospheric pressure is defined as the weight (or the mass) of air pressing down onto any given area. Ergo, the greater mass above a certain area… the greater that area’s atmospheric pressure. As intelligent individuals, it’s a given to assume that no area on Earth is exactly identical. And, in turn, it’s also a given to assume that the world does not have one uniform atmospheric pressure. But what’s this got to do with wind?

As college-level, intelligent individuals, it’s important to think back to our high school science education. Here, the natural phenomenon of homeostasis was perhaps stressed more than anything else. Put simply for the sake of refreshing memory, this is the constant quest of nature to reach ultimate equilibrium amongst everything- everything becoming the same temperature, everything becoming the same speed, or, in the case of the atmosphere, everything becoming the same pressure. Therefore, the Earth’s goal of reaching this equilibrium is what creates wind.

Just as equilibrium causes a drop of dye in a clear cup of water to spread and move evenly throughout the glass, equilibrium causes air to spread and move evenly throughout the globe. High-pressured air blows toward low pressure. Lower-pressured air replaces that high pressure. A perfect example is sea breeze. The sun (a confounding variable stimulating/altering the process) logically heats the Earth. By the ocean, it logically heats the ground more. This heated ground logically heats the air directly above it. This heated air is less dense and therefore, this heated air rises. This creates a lower atmospheric pressure immediately above the land. Meanwhile, however, the air above the ocean logically does not heat as fast. As a result, the density of the air above the ocean does not change. But since the density of the air above the land has, the colder, denser air blows toward the land to maintain equilibrium. This is why many of us feel breeze from the sea. As air moves from one area to another to equal out, over objects and through objects, and past us, we feel its movement. This is wind.

But high atmospheric pressure and low atmospheric pressure areas aren’t always as nearby as the land and the sea. And wind isn’t always as simple as a breeze. Winds (shifts in atmospheric pressure) occur on a much larger and much more complex scale. Entire hemispheres and whole portions of the globe consist of different pressures. Here too, the pressures are on quest to become equal and shifting air is its steed. Mass amounts of wind develop and move (so much so that some even have become named, predictable patterns). These winds move on such a massive scale that even the Earth’s rotation bids them affect- this is referred to as the Coriolis Effect, where air often flows clockwise in high pressure areas, but counter-clockwise in low pressure areas. It also tilts moving air in the Northern Hemisphere to the right, but moving air to the left in the Southern Hemisphere.

Also, as one intelligent individual would logically expect, the greater the pressure difference, the greater the speed/force of the wind. Unfortunately, as we’ve all seen on different forms of media but hopefully rarely in person, these quickly shifting winds can lead to the development of destructive tornadoes. However, thankfully, it’s beneficial to transfer the lessons of Andrew from the classroom into real life. The risk of any of us being killed here by a tornado is relatively minimal; despite a moderate hazard, the exposure is reasonably low.

Overall, wind isn’t considered magic once it’s understood- it’s merely the Earth trying to maintain equal atmospheric pressure. As air with different pressures moves to balance out, one feels it as wind. Temperatures and the rotation of the globe are all factors that come into play. And the greater the pressure difference, the stronger the wind.However, comprehending everything in this blog isn’t exactly a breeze.

But if you’re still feeling the pressure to understand, it’d be best to think twice before throwing it to the wind.

By: Isaac Will