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Due to the uneven heating on the Earth, wind currents are generated. An uneven heating occurs between the equator and the poles and also between land and water.Our Earth is ellipsoid in shape since it has bulged at the equator and flattened at the poles. So, the maximum heat rays from the Sun falls on the regions close to the equator. We know that warm air rises up, and the cooler air from the sides fill the space. Likewise, in the equator, the warm air rises after receiving the Sun's rays.

This is how the wind is circulated from the poles to the warmer latitudes. The wind blows from the direction of north to south, or from south to north. The change in the wind direction occurs due to the rotation of the earth.


Equator and poles:

Sunrays falling on earth
The cooler air from the regions lying between \(0\)\(-\ 30\) degrees latitude belt on the equator moves in from either side. From the north and the south, these cooler winds blow towards the equator. In the meantime, the air is colder at the poles than at the regions in \(60\) degrees latitudes. This cold wind from the poles moves towards the equator since the warm air from the regions lying at \(60\) degrees latitudes belt of the equator rises up.

Wind flow pattern of earth
This is how the wind is circulated from the poles to the warmer latitudes. The wind blows from the direction of north to south, or from south to north. The change in the wind direction occurs due to the rotation of the earth.
Land and water:
The uneven heating that occurs between land and water causes land breeze and sea breeze. A gentle wind is known as the breeze.
During summer, the land near the equator gets heated up faster and reaches a high temperature compared to the water in the oceans. Due to this, the warm air from the land rises up, causing the cold winds to blow from the oceans towards the land. These winds are called monsoon winds.

Sea breeze
The word 'monsoon' is derived from the Arabic word 'Mausam', meaning 'season'.
Example:
In the Rajasthan desert, due to this uneven heating of land in the summertime, the monsoon winds are generated from the southwest direction. A lot of water is carried by these winds from the Indian Ocean.

Monsoon winds in the Rajasthan desert
During winter, there is a reversal of wind flow. At this time, the land cools down faster than the oceans. Compared to the land, the temperature will be high in oceans. Due to this, the warm air from the ocean rises, causing the cold winds to blow from the land towards the oceans. The wind flows from the land to the ocean. These winds from the oceans bring rain as a part of the water cycle.


Land breeze
Example:
Due to this uneven heating of land and water in the wintertime, the winds are generated from the colder region in the northwest direction. Only a little amount of water is carried by these colder winds, and hence, rain is very less in winter.

Wind flow pattern during winter
This uneven heating between land and water is a natural phenomenon that occurs everyday. The flow of wind from the sea to the land is known as the sea breeze, and from land to sea is known as the land breeze.