Studies in recent years have offered conflicting information when it comes to how climate change may be impacting wind across the globe. Some studies have reported that the winds in the Northern Hemisphere are weakening. However, a new study out of Australia has found that wind speeds have stayed approximately the same in the past two decades, however, gusts are increasing especially in the Southern Hemisphere.
The study was led by Ian Young, a physical oceanographer from the Australian National University in Melbourne, and it was recently published in the journal Science. The team of researchers working with Young used satellite data from seven satellites for the years between 1985 and 2008.
The team then used the data to determine various calculations of wind across the globe. The researchers had the same result each time they used the data in five different techniques. The results point to the world’s higher wind speeds increasing. The overall mean wind speed, however, was found to have remained essentially the same.
The fastest winds on the planet have been found to be increasing in speed by half a percent yearly. The world’s largest waves are also increasing in addition to the winds by half a percent a year as well. In addition, locations popular for offshore wind were found to have an increase in mean speed of five to ten percent. The results of the study found that the Southern Hemisphere has exhibited these results more greatly than the Northern Hemisphere.
In relatable terms, these results mean that the strongest winds on the planet were found to be ten percent greater than they previously were. As for waves, the researchers noted that the waves in the 99th percentile are now six meters in height rather than five.
Such increases have many consequences. Due to increasing wind speeds in areas popular for wind energy, turbines will be more likely to be damaged. This may alter the way in which offshore wind turbines are manufactured. In addition, the increasing wind speeds are concerning scientists due to the potential to increase the power of already dangerous hurricanes, hurricanes which are expected to increase due to climate change.
Overall, the researchers behind the study indicate that the time-frame of the study is too short to say for sure whether the increases will continue as they did in the last near quarter of a century or if the pattern will change.
