Global+Wind+Patterns

=Global Wind Patterns=

The region of Earth receiving the Sun's direct rays is the equator. Here, air is heated and rises, leaving low pressure areas behind. Moving to about thirty degrees north and south of the equator, the warm air from the equator begins to cool and sink. Between thirty degrees latitude and the equator, most of the cooling sinking air moves back to the equator. The rest of the air flows toward the poles. The air movements toward the equator are called **trade winds** - warm, steady breezes that blow almost continuously. The Coriolis Effect makes the trade winds appear to be curving to the west, whether they are traveling to the equator from the south or north.

The trade winds coming from the south and the north meet near the equator. These converging trade winds produce general upward winds as they are heated, so there are no steady surface winds. This area of calm is called the **doldrums.**

At about sixty degrees latitude in both hemispheres, the prevailing westerlies join with polar easterlies to reduce upward motion. The **polar easterlies** form when the atmosphere over the poles cools. This cool air then sinks and spreads over the surface. As the air flows away from the poles, it is turned to the west by the Coriolis Effect. Again, because these winds begin in the east, they are called easterlies. Many of these changes in wind direction are hard to visualize.



1. What winds would Columbus have used to travel from Spain to the Caribbean? 2. Which winds would he have needed to return to Europe? 3. Would winds have favored European explorers seeking to travel east around the tip of Africa?