Geography 2131A/B Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: High-Pressure Area, Atmospheric Circulation, Subtropical Ridge
30 Mar 2017
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In general, the circulation of air in the atmosphere is due to: o o. The unequal amounts of energy received at different latitudes. If no circulation, equator would continue to heat up, poles would continue to get colder. Unequal radiation = transfer of heat energy from equator to poles o. Low pressure system at the equator - warm air rising: high pressure system at the poles. Non-rotating planet = hadley cell circulation o. Low pressure zone at the equator: high pressure zones at the poles. In reality, the rotation of the earth results in complex patterns, especially at the mid-latitudes: alternating low pressure (rising area) and high pressure (subsiding air) belts, deflection of winds due to coriolis effect o o. High: winds named from direction they come from. Earth"s tilt and revolution (i. e. seasonal variation in insolation) More cellular in northern hemisphere because of land. More band-like in southern hemisphere because of lack of land.
