TROPICAL DESIGN

ArTrp 215
GLOBAL AIR MOVEMENT
Special Conditions
1. Coriolis Force - is an apparent force caused by the earth's rotation. The Coriolis
force is responsible for deflecting winds towards the right in the northern
hemisphere and towards the left in the southern hemisphere.

CHANGED DIRECTION
GLOBAL AIR MOVEMENT
Special Conditions
2. Wind is formed due to uneven heating of the Earth’s surface.

̇ Air Temperature changes faster than ground temperature.

̇ Daily fluctuations of air temperature cause by physical

conduction up to 3 meters above the ground.

̇ Marked differences of air temperature between night and day.

GLOBAL AIR MOVEMENT
General Conditions
1. Equator receives more solar radiation than the polar regions do.

2. Hot air moves upwards going to polar regions.

3. Cold air drops back to the ground, flows back towards the
Equator, and warms again.
AIR MOVEMENT (WIND)
Principles of Air Movement
1. Air flows from a high-pressure to a low-pressure area.

2. Air flows through the path of least resistance.

3. The two main causes of large-scale atmospheric circulation

are the differential heating between the equator and the
poles, and the rotation of the planet (Coriolis effect).
 ATMOSPHERIC CIRCULATION
Atmospheric circulation describes the pattern in which air flows around the Earth.
Each hemisphere is split into three convection cells.

The equator receives the most direct sunlight and the southern hemisphere receives
more sun than the northern hemisphere due to the Earth’s tilt during December
Solstice and vise versa. The poles receive a low angle of incoming sunlight which is
scattered over a large area, resulting in a much colder climate. Without atmospheric
circulation, the equator would be much hotter and the poles would be much colder.
The movement of air disperses heat to different regions around the Earth, influencing
local climates and biomes.

Each cell also causes particular prevailing winds which blow eastward or westward.
The reason the winds do not blow directly from north to south (or vice versa) is due to
the Earth’s rotation, in a process known as the Coriolis effect.
 THREE CELL MODEL
Trade Winds
Polar Easterlies
The trade winds (also called trades) are the
prevailing pattern of easterly surface winds found
in the tropics towards the Earth's equator. The trade
winds blow predominantly from the northeast in
the Northern Hemisphere and from the southeast in
/Ferrel cell
the Southern Hemisphere. The trade winds act as
the steering flow for tropical cyclones that form
over the world's oceans.

Westerlies
Tropics
The Westerlies or the Prevailing Westerlies are the
prevailing winds in the middle latitudes between 35
and 65 degrees latitude. These prevailing winds
blow from the west to the east, and steer
extratropical cyclones in this general manner. The
winds are predominantly from the southwest in the
Northern Hemisphere and from the northwest in
the Southern Hemisphere. They are strongest in the
winter when the pressure is lower over the poles,
and weakest during the summer and when Tropics
pressures are higher over the poles.

Polar Easterlies
The polar easterlies, also known as Polar Hadley
cells, are dry, cold prevailing winds that blow from
the high-pressure areas of the polar highs at the
north and South Poles towards the low-pressure
areas within the Westerlies at high latitudes. Unlike
the Westerlies, these prevailing winds blow from
the east to the west, and are often weak and
irregular. Because of the low sun angle, cold air
builds up and subsides at the pole creating surface Polar Easterlies
high-pressure areas, forcing an equatorward
outflow of air; that outflow is deflected westward
by the Coriolis effect.
Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ)
The intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) is an area where the northeast trade winds from the Northern Hemisphere
and the southeast winds from the Southern Hemisphere come together, it forces the air up into the atmosphere. It
encircles the earth near the equator, but changes specific position seasonally.
Hadley Cell
As sunlight is more concentrated at the equator this heats the Earth’s surface, which warms the air. As air warms its
density decreases causing it to rise, creating an area of low pressure. The air that rises at the equator reaches the
tropopause (boundary of the troposphere), splits and travels poleward (both north and south). At around 30° the air cools,
becomes denser, and sinks, creating high pressure. The sinking air travels towards the equator to replace the warm,
ascending air, completing the closed circulation loop. The Hadley cell forms the northeast and southeast trade winds.
Ferrel Cell
The Ferrel cells are not driven by temperature (like the Hadley and Polar cells) and they flow in the opposite direction. A
large part of the energy that drives the Ferrel cell is provided by the Polar and Hadley cells circulating on either side,
which drags the Ferrel cell with it. As surface air in these cells flows away from the equator the Earth’s rotation deflects
the air to the east and forms the westerlies.
Polar Cell
The Polar cells are the furthest cells from the equator and have the coldest climate. The warm air that travels to the poles
from the Ferrel cells cools and descends at the highest latitudes, creating a dry, high-pressure area. The air circulation of
the polar cell is caused by cold air sinking at the poles and flowing towards the mid-latitudes, producing sporadic winds
known as the polar easterlies.
FOR REFERENCE:
Tropopause - is a thermodynamic gradient-stratification
layer that marks the end of the troposphere, and is
approximately 17 kilometres (11 mi) above the equatorial
regions, and approximately 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) above
the polar regions.

Troposphere - is the atmospheric layer closest to the

surface of the earth. It is four to 12 miles thick and
contains about half of the entire atmosphere! As you’ve
figured out by now, this is the layer of the atmosphere
that sustains life. The parts of the troposphere closest to
the ground are warmer, and the farther up in this layer,
the colder it gets. Additionally, lots of water vapor and
dust get trapped in this layer which helps with the
formation of clouds.

NOTE: As the ground takes in the sun, the air right above it heats
up and starts to rise, and as it gets higher, it experiences a
decrease in pressure that allows it to expand and lose heat. The
more air expands, the colder it becomes. The total heat content is
directly related to the amount of matter present, so it is cooler at
higher elevations.
Between the Hadley cells, we have
air that’s rising because the Equator
is so hot. This region is called the
Intertropical Convergence Zone or
ITCZ. The ITCZ is one of the wettest
parts of the planet. This is where we
have the tropical rainforests.
Between the Hadley cells and Ferrel cells, the air
is falling. When air is falling, we have dry air and
high pressure. This is called the Subtropical High.
Between the Ferrel cells and Polar Cells, we
have the Polar Front. The polar front is a wet
area with lots of storms. At the top of the
Polar Cell, the air is coming down over the
North Pole, the air coming down is very dry.
High Pressure moves to the Low
Pressure but with the Coriolis force, it
deflects the wind to the right in the
North Hemisphere.

So when you see wind, you’ll see low

pressure to the left of the wind and high
pressure to the right.
During Equinox, the Sun is
shining directly on the equator.
The Equator got really hot, and
hot air began expanding and
rising.
But the angle of the Sun changes during the
course of the year as the Earth’s axis moves. In
June, the North Pole tilts towards the Sun
bringing more sunlight. But the Sun is not shining
directly on the Equator, it’s shining directly on
the Tropic of Cancer. Since North is more taking
in sunlight, the ITCZ moves towards north.
In December, the North Pole
points away from the Sun.
Now the Sun is shining at the
Tropic of Capricorn, giving
more sunlight in the south.
The ITCZ moves towards the
south.

The ITCZ is constantly

moving north and south over
the tropics. Within the
tropics there’s often a rainy
season when the ITCZ is
overhead and a dry season
when it's gone. The tropics
are warm all year round. So
seasons in the tropics mostly
involve changes in rainfall,
not changes in temperature.
 SUN
LIGHT
EXAMPLE:
The images shows the wind patterns during in an Equinox, where the ITCZ is located near the Equator.
SECTION PLAN

ITCZ
 June Solstice December Solstice
The cells changes with - North Pole tilts towards the sun. - North Pole tilts away from the sun.
each seasons. - Sunlight is perpendicular to the Tropic - Sunlight is perpendicular to the Tropic of
of Cancer. Capricorn.
- ITCZ moves towards the Tropic of - ITCZ moves towards the Tropic of
For example during the Cancer. Capricorn.
June Solstice, the sunlight - Summer in the Northern Hemisphere. - Summer in the Southern Hemisphere.
hits at the Tropic of - Northern Hemisphere is more - Southern Hemisphere is more exposed
Cancer and the ITCZ exposed to the Sun than the south. to the Sun than the north.
moves with it, making the
cells in the south stretch
out going north.

The northern hemisphere

more exposed to the ITCZ
sunlight and the ITCZ
brings rain around the
Tropic of Cancer and the
Equator.
ITCZ
NOTE: The given images does not
shows the correct tilt of the Earth
in respect to the June and
December Solstices. It only
provides a demonstration of each
cells during each solstice.
GEOGRAPHICAL AIR MOVEMENT
Land and Sea Breezes
1. Sea Breeze
During the day time, when
the sun is up, the land air
heats up faster whereas
the sea air heats slowly.
Thus, at this time, the sea
air is cooler and heavy and LOW
it flows towards the land. PRESSURE
As the name suggests, Sea
breeze refers to the breeze
or wind blowing from the
sea towards the land. It
usually occurs during the
summer days. It is also
known as Onshore breeze.
HIGH
PRESSURE
GEOGRAPHICAL AIR MOVEMENT
Land and Sea Breezes
2. Land Breeze
The land heats up at a faster
pace and so does it cool also.
Hence, after the sunset land or
sand cools down before the
water. At this time, the land air
is cooler than the sea air HIGH
thereby creating a low pressure
over the sea. Thus, the land air PRESSURE
flows towards the sea. As the
name suggests, Land breeze
refers to the breeze or wind
blowing from the land towards
the sea. It is also known as
Offshore breeze. It usually LOW
occurs during the night or early PRESSURE
morning when the land air is
cooler than the sea air.
GEOGRAPHICAL AIR MOVEMENT
Windward and Leeward
1. Windward side
(positive pressure) -
is upwind from the
point of reference,
towards the direction
from which the wind
is coming.
Leeward
2. Leeward side
(negative pressure) -
is downwind from the Windward
point of reference,
along the direction
towards which the
wind is going.
Definition of Terms:
Low Pressure (climate) - Areas where the air is warmed often have lower pressure because the warm
air rises.
High Pressure (climate) - Have more air pressure than their surroundings. That means they are
constantly pushing air away from them into the areas that have lower pressure.

The key to understanding pressure in the atmosphere is to understand how gases work. Gases and
pressure can increase and decrease when forces change (like temperature and volume). The idea of
density should also be considered.

Density - is essentially a measurement of how tightly matter is packed together.

Matter - is made up of extremely tiny particles called atoms and molecules.
Molecule - The smallest particle of a substance that has all of the physical and chemical properties of
that substance.

⭆ As the air heats up the molecules in the hot air, it expands and rise. (Low pressure→High Pressure)

⭆ When the molecules in the air cools and condenses, it goes down. (High pressure→Low pressure)