Olive tree kneaded by the wind

If you find trees in such a shape, you know what the dominant wind direction is throughout the year. You will find these types of specimens with a north-south direction on almost all Aegean islands. This has to do with the macro geography of these islands. To the south lies the baking oven of the North African continent. Those desert soils combined with a scorching sun warm the air. And we know from our physics lessons that air that warms you rises. This results in a relative shortage of air in those places and a low pressure area that sucks in air from a higher pressure area. This relatively higher pressure area can be found above the Balkans, Turkey and the Black Sea.

Of course there are temporary variations on the north-south situation, but on average this is the most common situation, as this curved olive tree testifies.

Pascal Brackman