Howard Winter wrote:
> The wind direction is affected by the rotation of
> the Earth (Coriolis effect) but the presence and strength of the wind
> isn't.

I don't think it's that clear.  If one side of the planet always faced the
sun, would there be much wind?  I think probably a lot less.  Also think of
the trade winds and other wind belts which blow predominantly in a east or
west direction.  It sounds quite plausible that both the strength and
presence (really the same thing since presence is strength not = 0) of this
wind are directly related to the earth's rotation.  It's not so clear that
the power behind the wind comes from that, and most of it probably doesn't,
but I don't think it can be dismissed so easily.

> Tides are caused by the gravitational pull of the Sun and the Moon on
> the water - the rotation of the Earth contributes friction, which may
> help or hinder the flow of water, but it doesn't cause it (except to
> the extent that the apparent motion of the Sun is caused by it).

Yeah, but that's exactly the effect the does cause tides, or at least causes
them to go up and down (which is where the power is derived from).  The
rotation of the earth doesn't in itself cause friction.  That happens
because things deform or move due to the changing pull of the external
gravitational field, which is all powered by the inertia of the earth
rotating.

Think of the reverse.  Let's say you make a float that goes up and down on
the ocean surface due to the tides, then hook it up to a generator to
extract power from that up and down motion.  Explain where that power comes
from if not from the kinetic energy stored in the rotating mass of the
planet?  By extracting the power from the float, you are making the planet
slow down ever so slightly.


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