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At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMed2006

Estimating the relationship between measured wind speed and overturning truck crashes using a binary logit model.

This paper develops a quantitative model that correlates overturning freight vehicle crash records in Wyoming to measured wind speeds at nearby weather stations. The database consists of 14,700 truck crashes from 1994 to 2003 and wind speed and gust information from 21 weather stations. A binary logit model was estimated from the data to determine if there was significant correlation between weather station wind data and the likelihood that the crash was of the overturning type. While it is reasonably known that local wind speeds at the crash location are critical in predicting overturning truck crash likelihood, it was not known if distant weather station data were an adequate predictor of these crash types. The results from this work indicate that weather station data can be used as a predictor of overturning crashes. This work provides the necessary first step for the development of operational rules for roadway sections that run high risk of overturning truck crashes in high wind conditions.

Acceleration↗
PubMed2004

The effects of wind speed on the relative relationships between different sized-fractions of airborne particles.

The concentrations of three different size fractions of particulate matter (PM) including PM2.5, PM10, and TSP were determined continuously at hourly intervals from four different sites in Seoul, Korea during the spring of 2001. To learn the effects of wind speed change on PM fractionation, the entire data sets were initially sorted into three particle fractions such as: fine (F: PM2.5), coarse (C: PM10-PM2.5), and giant (G: TSP-PM10). The inter-fraction relationships of PM were then explored by linear regression analysis of the data divided into four wind speed regimes. The results of this analysis, when examined in terms of either relative dominance between different PM fractions (i.e., in terms of their slope values) or strength of correlations, indicate the existence of diverse inter-fraction patterns. Most importantly, the physical influence of wind speed is seen to be reflected most efficiently between fine and coarse particle fractions, as the relative contribution of coarse fraction to the mass concentration of total particles (e.g., PM10) changes proportionally with changes in wind speed. However, such systematic patterns decrease noticeably between fine and giant fractions, as they can be affected more sensitively by such factors as the nature of their sources or the surrounding environmental conditions. The results of our comparative analysis thus confirm that wind speed is a useful barometer to distinguish and predict the behavior of different particle fractions in relation to each other.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed2006

Polyurethane foam (PUF) disks passive air samplers: wind effect on sampling rates.

Different passive sampler housings were evaluated for their wind dampening ability and how this might translate to variability in sampler uptake rates. Polyurethane foam (PUF) disk samplers were used as the sampling medium and were exposed to a PCB-contaminated atmosphere in a wind tunnel. The effect of outside wind speed on PUF disk sampling rates was evaluated by exposing polyurethane foam (PUF) disks to a PCB-contaminated air stream in a wind tunnel over air velocities in the range 0 to 1.75 m s-1. PUF disk sampling rates increased gradually over the range 0-0.9 m s-1 at approximately 4.5-14.6 m3 d-1 and then increased sharply to approximately 42 m3 d-1 at approximately 1.75 m s-1 (sum of PCBs). The results indicate that for most field deployments the conventional 'flying saucer' housing adequately dampens the wind effect and will yield approximately time-weighted air concentrations.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed1977

Possible spread of African horse sickness on the wind.

Analyses of outbreaks of African horse sickness showed that movement of infected Culicoides midges on the wind was most likely responsible for the spread of the disease over the sea from Morocco to Spain in 1966, from Turkey to Cyprus in 1960, and from Senegal to the Cape Verde Islands in 1943. The pattern of spread of the epidemic in the Middle East in 1960 could have been laid down by the infected midges carried on spells of south-east winds, and analyses of outbreaks in Algeria in 1965 and India in 1960 also suggested windborne spread of the disease. Each spread occurred when the presence of virus, host and vector coincided either with a spell of winds unusual for a particular time of year (Spain, Cyprus, Cape Verde Islands and Algeria) or with a series of disturbances usual at that time of the year (Middle East and India). Inferred flight endurance of the midge varied up to at least 20 h and flight range from 40 to 700 km. Flight occurred when temperatures were likely to have been in the range of 15-25 degrees C if it was at night or 20 to about 40 degrees C if it was by day.It is suggested that likely movements of midges on the wind can be estimated from synoptic weather charts, and should be taken into account when planning control of the disease in the face of an outbreak. Such control includes a ban on movement of horses, vaccination and spraying of insecticide.The risk of spread to countries outside the endemic areas should be assessed by reference to possible wind dispersal of infected midges.

Africa, Northern↗
PubMed2003

Entrainment of radio frequency chaff by wind as a function of surface aerodynamic roughness.

Radio frequency (RF) chaff (approximately 2-cm x 25-microm diameter aluminum-coated glass silicate cylinders) released by military aircraft during testing and training activities has the potential to become entrained by wind upon settling to the Earth's surface. Once entrained from the surface there is the potential for RF chaff to be abraded and produce PM10 and PM2.5, which are regulated pollutants and pose health concerns. A series of portable wind tunnel tests were carried out to examine the propensity of RF chaff to become entrained by wind by defining the relationship between the threshold friction velocity of RF chaff (u(*t RF chaff)) and aerodynamic roughness (z(o)) of surfaces onto which it may deposit. The test surfaces were of varying roughness including types near the Naval Air Station (NAS), Fallon, NV, where RF chaff is released. The u(*t) of this fibrous material ranged from 0.14 m/sec for a smooth playa to 0.82 m/sec for a rough crusted playa surface with larger cobble-sized (approximately 6-26-cm diameter) rocks rising above the surface. The u(*t RF chaff) is dependent on the z(o) of the surface onto which it falls as well as the physical characteristics of the roughness. The wind regime of Fallon would allow for chaff suspension events to occur should it settle on typical surfaces in the area. However, the wind climatology of this area makes the probability of such events relatively low.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed2004

Does the 'old bag' make a good 'wind bag'?: Comparison of four fabrics commonly used as exclusion bags in studies of pollination and reproductive biology.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Fabrics used in pollination bags may exclude pollen carried by biotic vectors, but have varying degrees of permeability to wind-borne pollen. The permeability of bags to wind-borne pollen may have important consequences in studies of pollination and reproductive biology. The permeability of four fabrics commonly used in the construction of pollination bags was examined. METHODS: Deposition of wind-borne pollen on horizontally and vertically oriented microscope slides was assessed on slides enclosed in pollination bags, as well as on control slides. KEY RESULTS: It was found that the permeability of fabrics to wind-borne pollen, as measured by deposition on both horizontally and vertically oriented slides, decreased with pore size. However, deposition on horizontal slides was always greater than on vertical slides for a given fabric; this could manifest itself as differential success of pollination of flowers in bags-dependent on flower orientation. CONCLUSIONS: Obviously, bags with mesh size smaller than most pollen grains are impermeable to pollen. However, material for such bags is very expensive. In addition, it was also observed that bags with even moderately small pore size, such as pores (approx. 200 microm) in twisted fibre cotton muslin, offered highly significant barriers to passage of wind-borne pollen. Such bags are sufficiently effective in most large-sample-size reproductive biology studies.

Equipment Design↗
PubMed1991

Impact of supersonic versus propeller wind data on dispersion estimates for nuclear plants.

Statistical analyses and comparisons of the wind data obtained by the propeller and supersonic anemometers at the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI) were performed. For wind speeds less than 1 ms-1, the propeller readings are inaccurate and are generally 0.5 ms-1 less than the supersonic readings. Thus, the number of calms recorded differs. These differences affect the sum of the inverse of wind speed, frequency distribution of wind direction, and the annual percentage frequency distribution of stability categories. The resultant average air concentrations and ground-level gamma exposure rates due to the normal operational releases from a nuclear plant are overestimated when calculated using the propeller wind data.

Air Pollutants, Radioactive↗
PubMed2000

Fast and fuel efficient? Optimal use of wind by flying albatrosses.

The influence of wind patterns on behaviour and effort of free-ranging male wandering albatrosses (Diomedea exulans) was studied with miniaturized external heart-rate recorders in conjunction with satellite transmitters and activity recorders. Heart rate was used as an instantaneous index of energy expenditure. When cruising with favourable tail or side winds, wandering albatrosses can achieve high flight speeds while expending little more energy than birds resting on land. In contrast, heart rate increases concomitantly with increasing head winds, and flight speeds decrease. Our results show that effort is greatest when albatrosses take off from or land on the water. On a larger scale, we show that in order for birds to have the highest probability of experiencing favourable winds, wandering albatrosses use predictable weather systems to engage in a stereotypical flight pattern of large looping tracks. When heading north, albatrosses fly in anticlockwise loops, and to the south, movements are in a clockwise direction. Thus, the capacity to integrate instantaneous eco-physiological measures with records of large-scale flight and wind patterns allows us to understand better the complex interplay between the evolution of morphological, physiological and behavioural adaptations of albatrosses in the windiest place on earth.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Thigmomorphogenesis: field and laboratory studies of Abies fraseri in response to wind or mechanical perturbation.

Field- and greenhouse-grown Abies fraseri (Pursh) Poir. (Fraser fir) were analyzed for wind- or mechanically-induced flexure changes. These changes included inhibition of stem and needle elongation, reinforcement of branch bases around the stem, and increased radial growth in the direction of the mechanical perturbation (MP). Mature trees exposed to high wind conditions were severely flag-formed. These modified tree crowns had a lower drag than crowns of non-flag formed trees in wind-tunnel tests. In both field-grown and greenhouse-grown A. fraseri, MP induced a decrease in flexibility and increased elasticity of the stems. The increased radial growth of the stems overrode the increase in elasticity, resulting in the overall decrease in flexibility. The increase in radial growth caused by wind or mechanical flexure was due to greater cell divisions of the vascular cambium, resulting in increased numbers of tracheids. The decrease in stem elongation in these trees was due, at least in part, to a decrease in tracheid length. The potential biological and mechanical significance of these induced growth changes in trees are addressed. The data support the thigmomorphogenetic theory, which states that plants respond to wind and other mechanical perturbations in a way that is favorable to the plant for continued survival in windy environments.

Biomechanical Phenomena↗
PubMed2004

Wind-related processes detected by the Spirit Rover at Gusev Crater, Mars.

Wind-abraded rocks, ripples, drifts, and other deposits of windblown sediments are seen at the Columbia Memorial Station where the Spirit rover landed. Orientations of these features suggest formative winds from the north-northwest, consistent with predictions from atmospheric models of afternoon winds in Gusev Crater. Cuttings from the rover Rock Abrasion Tool are asymmetrically distributed toward the south-southeast, suggesting active winds from the north-northwest at the time (midday) of the abrasion operations. Characteristics of some rocks, such as a two-toned appearance, suggest that they were possibly buried and exhumed on the order of 5 to 60 centimeters by wind deflation, depending on location.

Evolution, Planetary↗
PubMed1976

Effects of temperature and wind on facial temperature, heart rate, and sensation.

Skin temperature measurements of the face have shown that the cheek cools faster than the nose and the nose faster than the forehead. The cooling effect of wind is maximum at wind speeds between 4.5 and 6.7 m/s. Cold winds produce significant bradycardia, which is, however, much more pronounced during the expiratory phase of respiration. A significant correlation was noted between cooling of face and the reflex bradycardia observed. Similarly, a very significant correlation was noted between drop in skin temperature and subjective evaluation of cold discomfort. Consequently, the drop in skin temperature, reflex bradycardia, and subjective evaluation are parameters which are directly affected by cold wind and can be used as adequate indicators of the degree of discomfort. When comparing the present results with the windchill index, it was found that in the zone described as "dangerously cold" the index fits well with the physiological measurements. In the zone described as "bitterly cold," the index by comparison with actual skin temperature measurements and subjective evaluation underestimates the cooling effects of combined temperature and wind by approximately 10 degrees C.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Effects of wind assistance and resistance on the forward motion of a runner.

The aerobic energy cost (delta VO2) of running at different speeds (V) with and against a range of wind velocities (WV) has been studied in a wind tunnel on three healthy male subjects and the results compared with downhill and uphill gradient running on a motor-driven treadmill. In terms of equivalent horizontal and vertical forces, comparison showed that the two forms of exercise were physiologically identical for gradients and WV ranging from -10 to +5% and 1.5 to 15 m . s-1, respectively. The apparent mechanical efficiencies of the work performed with a head and following wind were approximately +0.35 and -1.2. At WV greater than 15 m . s-1 it was more efficient to run against the wind and the corresponding gradient on the treadmill. At high WV the subjects altered their posture and "leaned" into the wind, thus possibly converting potential drag into body lift. The energy cost of overcoming air resistance on a calm day outdoor was calculated to be 7.8% for sprinting (10 m . s-1), 4% middle-distance (6 m . s-1), and 2% marathon (5 m . s-1) running.

Air Movements↗
PubMed2006

Evaluating effects of wind-induced pressure fluctuations on soil-atmosphere gas exchange at a landfill using stochastic modelling.

The impact of wind turbulence-induced pressure fluctuations at the soil surface on landfill gas transport and emissions to the atmosphere at an old Danish landfill site was investigated using stochastic modelling combined with soil property and gas transport data measured at the site. The impacts of soil physical properties (including air permeability and volumetric water content) and wind-induced pressure fluctuation properties (amplitude and temporal correlation) on landfill gas emissions to the atmosphere were evaluated. Soil-air permeability and pressure fluctuation amplitude were found to be the most important parameters. Wind-induced gas emissions were further compared with gas emissions caused by diffusion and by long-term pressure variations (due to passing weather systems). Here diffusion and wind-induced gas transport were found to be equally important with wind-induced gas transport becoming the most important at lower soil-air contents.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed1995

Effects of solar radiation and wind speed on metabolic heat production by two mammals with contrasting coat colours.

We report the first empirical data describing the interactive effects of simultaneous changes in irradiance and convection on energy expenditure by live mammals. Whole-animal rates of solar heat gain and convective heat loss were measured for representatives of two ground squirrel species, Spermophilus lateralis and Spermophilus saturatus, that contrast in coloration. Radiative heat gain was quantified as the decrease in metabolic heat production caused by the animal's exposure to simulated solar radiation. Changes in convective heat loss were quantified as the variation in metabolic heat production caused by changes in wind speed. For both species, exposure to 780 W m-2 of simulated solar radiation significantly reduced metabolic heat production at all wind speeds measured. Reductions were greatest at lower wind speeds, reaching 42% in S. lateralis and 29% in S. saturatus. Solar heat gain, expressed per unit body surface area, did not differ significantly between the two species. This heat gain equalled 14-21% of the radiant energy intercepted by S. lateralis and 18-22% of that intercepted by S. saturatus. Body resistance, an index of animal insulation, declined by only 10% in S. saturatus and 13% in S. lateralis as wind speed increased from 0.5 to 4.0 ms-1. These data demonstrate that solar heat gain can be essentially constant, despite marked differences in animal coloration, and that variable exposure to wind and sunlight can have important consequences for both thermoregulatory stress experienced by animals and their patterns of energy allocation.

Animals↗
PubMed1965

WIND AS AN AVERSIVE STIMULUS.

Two monkeys were trained on an escape-avoidance procedure in which a lever press delayed exposure to wind by 20 sec. For 5 hr, subjects alternately worked 15 min and rested 15 min, and performed this schedule when the wind was 5, 10, and 20 mph and the temperatures were 50, 60, and 70 degrees F. Analysis of variance showed that the percent of wind avoided was related to both the velocity of the wind and the temperature during the exposure. When the wind was 10 and 20 mph it was avoided almost continuously regardless of the temperature.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Behavioral analyses of wind-evoked escape of the cricket, Gryllodes sigillatus.

The wind-evoked escape behavior of the cricket Gryllodes sigillatus was investigated using an air puff stimulus. A high velocity air puff elicited the escape behavior in many crickets. The crickets tended to escape away from the stimulus source, but the direction was not accurately oriented 180 degrees from the stimulus. After bilateral cercal ablation, only a few crickets showed wind-evoked escape behavior, and their response rates did not increase even 19 days after ablation. Therefore, information on air motion detected by cercal filiform hairs is essential for triggering wind-evoked behavior. After unilateral cercal ablation, the 81.3% response rate of intact crickets decreased to 16.5%, that is, it decreased to almost 20% that of intact crickets. One week after unilateral cercal ablation, the response rate recovered to more than 60% that of intact crickets. However, the accuracy rate of the escape direction of G. sigillatus showed no change even immediately after the unilateral cercal ablation. Therefore, both cerci are not necessarily required to determine the escape direction. The behavioral characteristics of wind-evoked escape of G. sigillatus are compared with those of another species of cricket, Gryllus bimaculatus. The two species of cricket employ different strategies for wind-evoked escape.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Increased wind erosion from forest wildfire: implications for contaminant-related risks.

Assessments of contaminant-related human and ecological risk require estimation of transport rates, but few data exist on wind-driven transport rates in nonagricultural systems, particularly in response to ecosystem disturbances such as forest wildfire and also relative to water-driven transport. The Cerro Grande wildfire in May of 2000 burned across ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Douglas ex P.&C. Lawson var. scopulorum Englem.) forest within Los Alamos National Laboratory in northern New Mexico, where contaminant transport and associated post-fire inhalation risks are of concern. In response, the objectives of this study were to measure and compare wind-driven horizontal and vertical dust fluxes, metrics of transport related to wind erosion, for 3 yr for sites differentially affected by the Cerro Grande wildfire: unburned, moderately burned (fire mostly confined to ground vegetation), and severely burned (crown fire). Wind-driven dust flux was significantly greater in both types of burned areas relative to unburned areas, by more than one order of magnitude initially and by two to three times 1 yr after the fire. Unexpectedly, the elevated dust fluxes did not decrease during the second and third years in burned areas, apparently because ongoing drought delayed post-fire recovery. Our estimates enable assessment of amplification in contaminant-related risks following a major type of disturbance-wildfire, which is expected to increase in intensity and frequency due to climate change. More generally, our results highlight the importance of considering wind- as well as water-driven transport and erosion, particularly following disturbance, for ecosystem biogeochemistry in general and human and ecological risk assessment in particular.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed2000

Computing factors of safety against wind-induced tree stem damage.

The drag forces, bending moments and stresses acting on stems differing in size and location within the mechanical infrastructure of a large wild cherry (Prunus serotina Ehrh.) tree are estimated and used to calculate the factor of safety against wind-induced mechanical failure based on the mean breaking stress of intact stems and samples of wood drawn from this tree. The drag forces acting on stems are calculated based on stem projected areas and field measurements of wind speed taken within the canopy and along the length of the trunk. The bending moments and stresses resulting from these forces are shown to increase basipetally in a nearly log-log linear fashion toward the base of the tree. The factor of safety, however, varies in a sinusoidal manner such that the most distal stems have the highest factors of safety, whereas stems of intermediate location and portions of the trunk near ground level have equivalent and much lower factors of safety. This pattern of variation is interpreted to indicate that, as a course of normal growth and development, trees similar to the one examined in this study maintain a cadre of stems prone to wind-induced mechanical damage that can reduce the probability of catastrophic tree failure by reducing the drag forces acting on older portions of the tree. Comparisons among real and hypothetical stems with different taper experiencing different vertical wind speed profiles show that geometrically self-similar stems have larger factors of safety than stems tapering according to elastic or stress self-similarity, and that safety factors are less significantly influenced by the 'geometry' of the wind-profile.

Biomechanical Phenomena↗