Wind Direction and Speed Change Due to Solar Eclipse

Total solar eclipse was only made day became dark, but also change the speed and wind direction. Researchers confirmed this after collecting records over to the UK atmospheric eclipse in August 1999 and compared with computer modeling.

Children gaze at a partial solar eclipse over Manila Bay, the Philippines, in 2009. (Picture from: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/)

For this study, the researchers involved data from 121 weather observation stations. They can find out the movement of the wind before and during the eclipse in high resolution. They also use forecasting models that are programmed without taking into eclipse.

As expected, the results presented a model appropriate to what happened before the eclipse. The model also displays the weather conditions when the eclipse occurs in a few minutes. Forecast the eclipse then matched with data of weather stations.

If a change of wind movement occurs, the data station and a computer model of the data should show a difference. "The eclipse is a large-scale natural experiment," said weather researcher and University of Reading, Suzanne Gray.

Differences are clearly legible. The results show the wind speed slows down to 0.7 meters per second in the region through which the shadow of the moon.

In this area, the wind changed direction, opposite to the clockwise direction with an average change of 17 degrees. This event is practically makes the wind moving eastwards. Note also showed a decrease during the eclipse of the air temperature by 1 degree Celsius.

Previous researchers have studied the effects of atmospheric eclipse. However, previous studies involved only a limited vantage point. Computer modeling was used to compare the effects of the event.

The new high-resolution studies can be done at this time due to weather forecasting models tihggi resolution was developed in the last decade. "Now we can use computer models to get a clear picture of the impact of the eclipse of the wind," said Gray.

Decrease in air temperature during the eclipse is analogous to what happens when the sun disappears at night. The absence of sunlight to make heat supply disappears.

Change of wind movement is somewhat under-estimated. According to Gray, cooling the atmosphere makes the wind energy is reduced and causes slowing of movement. But the turn of the new wind direction is observed now.

Weather experts, Helm Clayton, had predicted this effect in 1901. He put forward the hypothesis "eclipse cyclone" is mentioned, when the moon's shadow falls to the earth, formed the center of the cold air, creating a short-lived cyclone that moves with the wind in the opposite direction clockwise motion. *** [PHYSORG| ANTON WILLIAM | KORAN TEMPO 3841]

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