Are U.S. Winds Slowing Down?

Research over 30 years shows a decline in wind speed of up to 1% in the Midwest and northeastern states, but flawed wind measurement technology may be more to blame than climate change or urban development.

"If average wind speeds really were to decline, it could affect urban areas that rely on the wind to disperse air pollution. Farmers would also see less ventilation of their crops, which could cause added heat stress on the plants. It would also mean that estimates of wind power potential would have to be scaled back (one recent study found that an extensive network of land-based wind farms potentially could supply more than 16 times the current U.S. power consumption)."