• Preliminary / Review Questions (in-class exercise)
  
  
• Idealized Belts - in a perfect world
  
  
• Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Subtropical High (STH)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  • source of two (2 of 3) major global wind systems - Trade Winds and Westerlies
  • Class Exercise

Pacific High Azores High (off Africa)

• Trade Winds (Commerce Winds)
  

• the most consistent winds blowing from the east
• over vast ocean expanses (except where landmasses occur)
• originate as warm, dry winds capable of absorbing enormous amounts of water
• winds evaporate large amounts of water with dddssstremendous potential for storms
• releases moisture with uplifting when encountering landmasses (such as Hawaii)
  
  

• Westerlies (winds of the mid-latitudes)
  
  • winds blow from west to east
  • bring much of the storms during winter
  • not as consistent as Trade winds due to landform barriers and interruptions
  • winds aloft are "geostrophic" and blow very predominently at high speeds (from the west)
  • Rossby wave - meadering flow caused by cold polar winds dipping into warmer tropical air
    • mixing of northerly cold air and southly warm air result in frequent and severe weather
  
  
  
• Polar Highs
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Polar Easterlies
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Subpolar Lows
  • 60 degrees latitude; area of convergence (dynamically induced)
  • surface convergence between the cold air from the North Pole and
  • warm air from the subtropics resulting in rising air (a surface low)
    • So. Hemisphere - continuous belt due to ocean
    • No. Hemisphere - cyclonic cells (Icelandic Low and Aleutian Low)
      

Monsoons -

Example: South Asian Monsoons