wind erosion The breakdown of solid rock into smaller particles and its removal by wind. It may occur on any soil whose surface is dry, unprotected by vegetation (to bind it at root level and shelter the surface) and consists of light particles. The mechanisms include straightforward picking up of dust and soil particles by the airflow and the dislodging or abrasion of surface material by the impact of particles already airborne
wind power Energy extracted from wind, traditionally in a windmill, but increasingly by more complicated designes including turbines, usually to produce electricity but also for water pumping. The power available from wind is proportional to the area swept by the rotating place and the cube of the wind velocity, but less than half the available power can be recovered