Quantifying Global Changes in Surface Wind Speeds
Conference Year
January 2019
Abstract
This research investigates changes in global mean surface wind speeds (SWS) associated with the physical characteristics of regions surrounding weather stations. The bulk of existing research on SWS shows decreasing winds over Earth’s mid-latitude continental regions. The speculated cause is land use changes, which modify surface friction. We investigate several physical characteristics including surface roughness, station elevation, aspect and prevailing wind direction to measure their effect on changing SWS.
Primary Faculty Mentor Name
Chris Danforth
Secondary Mentor Name
Peter Dodds, Jarlath O'Neil-Dunne
Status
Graduate
Student College
College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences
Program/Major
Data Science
Primary Research Category
Engineering & Physical Sciences
Quantifying Global Changes in Surface Wind Speeds
This research investigates changes in global mean surface wind speeds (SWS) associated with the physical characteristics of regions surrounding weather stations. The bulk of existing research on SWS shows decreasing winds over Earth’s mid-latitude continental regions. The speculated cause is land use changes, which modify surface friction. We investigate several physical characteristics including surface roughness, station elevation, aspect and prevailing wind direction to measure their effect on changing SWS.