The General Atmospheric Circulation System Flashcards
How is a pattern of pressure cells created
A differential heating of the earths surface by the sun is sufficient to create a pattern of pressure cells
Movement of air within each cell
Is generally circular and is responsible for the transfer of surplus energy from equatorial regions to other parts of the earth
Altitude
Height of the land above sea level (meters)
General atmospheric circulation
The pattern of wind and pressure belts within the atmosphere. The circulation is complex but certain movements occur regularly enough for us to recognise patterns of air pressure, distribution and winds
Jet stream
A narrow belt of fast moving air near the top of the troposphere
Latitude
The angular distance a place lies, north to south, from the equator
Lapse rate
Rate at which temperature changes with altitude
Rossby waves
A series of large waves that occur in the westerlies in the mid latitudes in both the northern and Southern Hemispheres
What did Hadley propose in 1686
That warm tropical air rises and spreads towards the poles at high altitude, with a return flow towards the equator at low level.
Hadley 1735
Modified his cell system to include the effects of the earths rotation, deflecting winds towards the right in the northern hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere
What did the single cell model fail to explain
Westerly winds in the temperate latitudes
1856
Further improvements made to cell model by Ferrel.
What did ferrel aim to propose
That three cells form in each hemisphere, resulting in major areas of high and low pressure at the surface
High pressure forms
Where the air is falling
Low pressure forms
Where air is rising
