HOW DOES THE CHANGE OF THE PREVAILING WIND AFFECT THE CLI-MATE IN THE UK

and Kevin Park

By Robin Daw-son

CLIMATE RIGHT NOW IN UK AND WHAT WOULD BE LIKELY TO HAPPEN IF THE WIND CURRENT WAS CHANGED

From the prevailing wind coming from the south west across the Atlantic ocean, it carries moisture through the wind which could be linked to the U.K’s wet and rainy cli-mate. However if the prevailing wind were to be changed to be coming from the northern hemisphere, where the north pole is most likely to be the source of the prevailing wind, this will mostly lead to much colder and more mosi-tured current then the usual south west wind current since it is probably coming from the North Pole.

FACTORS: PHYSICAL SHAPE OF LANDThere are many mountains and hills in the way if the pre-vailing wind direction changes to a northwind, the current would be likely to go through Monadhlitah and Calrngorm Mt and Sidlaw and Ochil hill. If this were to happen the north pole wind current it could either get warmer due to the wind needing to go over the mountain and losing mois-ture or the wind could be squeezed through giving even stronger and colder wind depending on the elevation of the mountain/hill land.

PROXIMITY TO THE OCEAN

Great Britain- 17820km

Nowhere in the UK is more than 113 kilometers from the coast.

Since most of the ocean currents are wind-driven it is likely the north west would bring the arctic ocean cur-rents bringing the chance of heating up or cooling down and altering the climate in the U.K if the prevailed wind current were to be changed from the south west wind current to the north wind current. This is because the ocean such great length and mass that it is able to hold their current temperature for a long time therefore it can either heat up or cool down land and affect the climate for long periods of time.

ALTITUDE

Altitude can play a part if the prevailing wind direction were to be changed from the south-west to the north as since the wind can be very tall and therefore making the prevailing having a colder temperature and since the wind is coming from the north which would be very cold( as explained ear-lier in the presentation), the altitude of the wind can lower the temperature making it even colder meaning further al-teration to the U.K’s climate. It is said that every thousand feet the temperature is dropped by 4 degrees celsius prov-ing that the higher the height of the winder the colder the temperature of it when it hits the U.K.

MOVEMENT OF AIR MASS

Movement of the air mass Arctic Maritime - originating from the Arctic area, this air mass brings

cold, snowy weather in winter, particularly to Northern Scotland.

Polar Maritime - this air mass has travelled from the north over the sea, and hence brings cold, wet weather. It originates in Greenland, North West Canada and potentially the north pole

Polar Continental - cold, dry weather all year round. As it passes over the North Sea it can pick up some moisture, bringing snow to the East coast in winter.