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Consider two hypothetical Earth-sized planets that have an atmosphere. Assume that one planet is entirely covered by oceans and the other is entirely by land. Knowing that the Sun heats the equator more than the poles, how would the wind patterns on these planets compare with the wind systems we observe on Earth, with its combination of land and sea?
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On the all-ocean planet, heating would be smooth and winds simple and steady; on the all-land planet, land heats and cools quickly, giving sharper temperature swings and gustier winds. Earth’s mix of land and sea creates monsoons, land and sea breezes and more complex, seasonal wind patterns than either extreme.
