Quantifying Global Changes in Surface Wind Speeds

Presenter's Name(s)

Andrew A. MetcalfFollow

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

Abstract only.

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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.