By Marianne Meadahl

Climate change may be taking some of the wind out of nature’s sails. A new study led by researchers in the Faculty of Environment shows evidence of declining wind speeds in areas across the Pacific Northwest.

The findings, published last month in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, could have implications for wind farmers looking for locations with steady winds to set up their businesses.

Lower wind speeds could also mean that atmospheric pollution would take longer to disperse, potentially giving rise to health concerns.

Grad student Brad Griffin, assistant professor Karen Kohfeld and associate professor Andy Cooper analysed maximum and average daily wind speeds between 1950 and 2008 from 92 different wind-measurement stations. When they separated coastal from inland stations, trends became apparent.

They found that coastal winds were stronger and followed an eight- to nine-year pattern, while inland winds showed a gradual decline over time. Neither could be explained by any obvious climate swings, including climate patterns such El Niño/La Niña.

Kohfeld speculates it may be the interaction of two separate climate oscillations that is modifying climate and controlling the speed of wind along the coast.

Urbanization may have a role in stilling the inland winds, but Kohfeld says there are likely bigger factors.Among them, climate change forecasters have been predicting a northerly shift of the Hadley Cell, the global atmospheric circulation system that controls major wind patterns.

“That could bring lower pressure differences or extensive high-pressure zones and lower wind speeds to mid-latitudes around the world,” says Kohfeld, who holds a Canada Research Chair in Climate Resources and Global Change.

Another recent study by European researchers suggests that land-use changes and more extensive vegetation might also be slowing the winds down.

The researchers plan to extend the study to more northern areas and do more detailed comparisons with climate models.

Griffin, a recent master’s graduate, is currently working with SFU’s Energy Materials and Resources group to prepare a series of policy briefings on energy and climate for the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS).