Atmospheric circulation is the large-scale, long-term average pattern of global winds, organized in each hemisphere into three cells: the Hadley cell nearest the equator, the Ferrel cell at mid-latitudes, and the smaller, weaker polar cell. The whole system is driven by uneven solar heating between the equator and the poles, and the descending air at the boundary between the Hadley and Ferrel cells around 30 degrees latitude produces the high-pressure belts responsible for many of the world's subtropical deserts.
Facts
Process TypeAtmospheric Circulation 1 TimescaleA stable long-term average pattern, apparent only when averaged over many years, even though short-term weather within it varies day to day. 1 First Proposed Year Connections
Associated With
Source Quasi-Biennial Oscillation (Wikipedia)
Causes
Wind is the surface expression of atmospheric circulation; the source page names wind rather than the atmospheric-circulation process entity by name.
Source Aeolian Processes (Wikipedia)
Source Ocean Current (Wikipedia)
Demonstrated By
Sits under the descending, high-pressure arm of the Hadley cell near 30 degrees latitude, the mechanism the Met Office identifies as producing the world's subtropical desert belts.
Source UK Met Office
Sources
1. UK Met Office
Met Office (United Kingdom)Global Atmospheric Circulation
This circulation is crucial for balancing temperatures between the equator and the poles, preventing extreme heat at the equator and excessive cold at the poles.
- Demonstrated By: The Sahara
View the Source 2. George Hadley (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationTrade winds sectionQuote, Trade winds section
on 22 May that year published a short paper in the Philosophical Transactions (vol. 39, 1735, 58-62) giving an explanation of the trade winds.
Aeolian Processes (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationCauses: Aeolian Processes, Introduction, aliasQuote, Causes: Aeolian Processes, Introduction, alias
Aeolian processes are those processes of erosion, transport, and deposition of sediments that are caused by wind.
Ocean Current (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationCauses: Ocean Circulation and Currents, Surface currents sectionQuote, Causes: Ocean Circulation and Currents, Surface currents section
Surface oceanic currents are driven by wind currents, the large scale prevailing winds drive major persistent ocean currents, and seasonal or occasional winds drive currents of similar persistence to the winds that drive them.
Monsoon (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationEncompasses: Monsoon Circulation, Overview section, planetary-scale characterizationQuote, Encompasses: Monsoon Circulation, Overview section, planetary-scale characterization
The monsoon is now considered a planetary-scale phenomenon involving the annual migration of the Intertropical Convergence Zone between its northern and southern limits.
Quasi-Biennial Oscillation (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationAssociated With: Quasi-Biennial OscillationView the Source Reader Challenges (0)
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