Earth Equity News

Ocean Wind Power Satellite Maps Reveal Possible Wind Energy Sources. Science Daily, July 9, 2008. "Efforts to harness the energy potential of Earth's ocean winds could soon gain an important new tool: global satellite maps from NASA. Scientists have been creating maps using nearly a decade of data from NASA's QuikSCAT satellite that reveal ocean areas where winds could produce wind energy. The new maps have many potential uses including planning the location of offshore wind farms... Winds are generally stronger over the ocean than on land because there is less friction over water to slow the winds down -- there are no hills or mountains to block the wind's path. Ideally, offshore wind farms should be located in areas where winds blow continuously at high speeds. The new research identifies such areas and offers explanations for the physical mechanisms that produce the high winds. An example of one such high-wind mechanism is located off the coast of Northern California near Cape Mendocino. The protruding land mass of the cape deflects northerly winds along the California coast, creating a local wind jet that blows year-round."