What is atmospheric circulation caused by?

Even with disruptions like weather fronts and storms, there is a consistent pattern to how air moves around our planet’s atmosphere. This pattern, called atmospheric circulation, is caused because the Sun heats the Earth more at the equator than at the poles. It’s also affected by the spin of the Earth.

What drives the large-scale atmospheric circulation?

Atmospheric circulation is the large-scale movement of air and together with ocean circulation is the means by which thermal energy is redistributed on the surface of the Earth. The Earth’s weather is a consequence of its illumination by the Sun, and the laws of thermodynamics.

What are the two main causes of large-scale atmospheric circulation?

The two major causes of global wind circulation are inequalities in radiation distribution over the Earth’s surface and the Earth’s rotation. Global radiation distribution drives global circulation, whereas the Earth’s rotation determines its shape.

What is the Earth atmospheric circulation?

Atmospheric circulation, any atmospheric flow used to refer to the general circulation of the Earth and regional movements of air around areas of high and low pressure. On average, this circulation corresponds to large-scale wind systems arranged in several east–west belts that encircle the Earth.

What are the three major influences that control Earth’s atmospheric circulation?

Atmospheric circulation is the large-scale movement of air by which heat is distributed on the surface of the Earth. The wind belts and the jet streams girdling the planet are steered by three convection cells: the Hadley cell, the Ferrel cell, and the Polar cell.

What is atmospheric circulation on Earth quizlet?

The difference in pressure in the atmosphere. In what pattern does air near Earth’s surface generally flow? From the poles to the equator. You just studied 34 terms!

What are large scale circulation patterns?

Recurring patterns of variability in large-scale atmospheric circulation (such as the North Atlantic Oscillation and Northern Annular Mode) and the atmosphere–ocean system (such as El Niño–Southern Oscillation) cause year-to-year variations in U.S. temperatures and precipitation (high confidence).

What causes atmospheric circulation on Earth quizlet?

The uneven heating of the Earth’s surface and the Coriolis Effect is what causes atmospheric circulation. The warm air rises and the cool air sinks. A convection current results from the difference in air density.

What is the main cause of the movement in the Earth’s atmosphere?

The movement of air through Earth’s — or any planet’s — atmosphere is called wind, and the main cause of Earth’s winds is uneven heating by the sun. This uneven heating causes changes of atmospheric pressure, and winds blow from regions with high pressure to those with low pressure.

Which of the following factors control the large-scale patterns of circulation in the atmosphere?

Large-scale circulation in Earth’s atmosphere below the tropopause is caused by the combination of two factors: uneven heating from the sun and Earth’s rotation. The Hadley cell is the primary circulation cell in the atmosphere.

What are large-scale circulation patterns?

What causes the circulation of air in the atmosphere quizlet?

The atmospheric circulation cell nearest the equator in each hemisphere. Air in these cells rises near the equator because of strong solar heating there and falls because of cooling at about 30_ latitude. See also trade winds. The ITCZ usually lies at or near the meteorological equator; also called the doldrums.

Which is the best description of the circulation of the atmosphere?

Chapter 7 -Title Chapter 7 – Atmospheric Circulations (pp. 165-195) Contents • scales of motion and turbulence • local winds • the General Circulation of the atmosphere • ocean currents Wind Examples Fig. 7.1: Scales of atmospheric motion. Microscale →mesoscale →synoptic scale. Scales of Motion

What kind of circulation occurs in low latitudes?

The atmospheric circulation in low latitudes corresponds mainly to direct thermal circulations driven by convection over the regions with the highest surface temperatures. Moisture-bearing trade winds converge onto these regions where the air rises in cumulus towers that provide plentiful rainfall locally.

Where does the Hadley cell of atmospheric circulation begin?

Hadley cell. The atmospheric circulation pattern that George Hadley described was an attempt to explain the trade winds. The Hadley cell is a closed circulation loop which begins at the equator. There, moist air is warmed by the Earth’s surface, decreases in density and rises.

What are the driving forces of atmospheric circulation?

According to Assireu (2003), the oceanographic driving forces that exert an influence in the region include shore-trapped waves, slope currents, contour currents, eddy currents, Ekman transport, tides and inertial currents, and internal waves.