Derived from the Arabic word ‘Mawsim’ (meaning season), “Monsoon” refers to a seasonal reversal in wind direction. It is essentially a large-scale version of a sea breeze, where the wind blows from sea to land in the summer and from ...
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These nicknames refer to the powerful Westerlies found in the Southern Hemisphere. Unlike the Northern Hemisphere, which is broken up by large landmasses, the Southern Ocean is almost entirely water. This lack of friction allows the Westerlies to accelerate to ...
This is the technical definition of trade winds. They are the surface winds of the tropical atmospheric circulation. They move from the high-pressure “Horse Latitudes” (subtropical highs) to the low-pressure “Doldrums” (equatorial lows). Because of the Coriolis effect, they blow ...
During the summer months, the subtropical high-pressure belt shifts northward. This causes the trade winds (specifically the Northeast Trades) to blow from the high-pressure regions of the horse latitudes toward the Mediterranean basin. These winds are generally dry, contributing to ...
Trade winds originate in the subtropical high-pressure belts, also known as the “horse latitudes” (around 30° N/S). Because air naturally flows from high to low pressure, these winds blow steadily toward the equatorial low-pressure zone. Due to the Coriolis effect, ...