Unlike the Hadley Cell (driven by heat at the equator) or the Polar Cell (driven by cold at the poles), the Ferrel Cell is like a gear sitting between them. It is pushed into motion by the rotation of its ...
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The ITCZ is the belt of low pressure near the equator where the trade winds meet. It is not fixed; it moves North during the Northern Hemisphere summer and South during the Southern Hemisphere summer. This “migration” of the ITCZ ...
In very small, violent spinning systems like tornadoes or dust devils, the Coriolis force is too weak to matter. Instead, the wind is a balance between the Pressure Gradient Force (pulling air into the center) and the Centrifugal Force (pulling ...
The Ekman Spiral describes how wind blowing over the ocean surface moves the water. Because of the Coriolis effect, the surface water moves at a 45-degree angle to the wind. Each deeper layer of water moves even more slowly and ...
The Horse Latitudes (30° N/S) are regions of high pressure created by sinking air. As air rises at the Equator, it travels poleward and eventually cools, becoming dense enough to sink back to Earth at these latitudes. Sinking air compresses ...