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 atmospheric circulation varies from

year to year, but the large-scale structure of its
circulation remains fairly constant.
-Temperature, Density, and Pressure

-Water vs. Land

-Ocean Currents

-Coriolis Force
 Forces and Motions
• Wind results from physical forces that act
on the air.

• Differences in air pressure (called a

pressure gradient) lead to air motion.

• The larger the difference in air pressure,

the stronger the winds.
Main forces:
1. Pressure gradient force:
• A pressure gradient (PG) is a change in pressure
over a distance.
• The pressure gradient force (PGF) is a force from
high to low pressure over a distance.
•Horizontal pressure gradient
•Vertical pressure gradient
force- results from the high
and low pressure systems force- The vertical pressure
(highs, lows, troughs and gradient force results from
ridges) in the atmosphere. molecules in the high pressure
Air will tend to move from near the earth's surface trying
high pressure to low to move upward where the
pressure. pressure is lower.
2. Gravitational force- keeps the molecules in the
atmosphere from moving into space. Gravity's
influence is stronger near the earth's surface and
weaker aloft.
3. Coriolis force- the force that results from Earth's
rotation.
4. Friction/ Turbulent drag- the drag exerted on the
air by the earth's surface (e.g., plants, trees,
buildings, mountains, etc.). Turbulent drag occurs
when Earth’s surface or objects on it cause
resistance to airflow and reduce the wind speed.
Any object on Earth’s surface can cause drag, such
as grass, trees, and buildings, which block and
decelerate wind.
5. Centrifugal force- the
tendency for a
body to resist a change in
direction.
Theories and Essential Features:
Winds always blow from High pressure area to Low
pressure area.
Heat from the equator is transferred around the
globe in three cells that connect with each other,
known as the tri-circular model. This creates a
global pattern of atmospheric pressure and winds.

Hadley cell - Early 1730s, the English lawyer and

amateur scientist George Hadley.
Ferrel cell -1856s by the American meteorologist
William Ferrel.
Polar cell- Air reaches the pole and create this cell.
• Latitudinal circulation features
• The wind belts are organized
An idealized sketch
showing surface winds

The wind belts are organized into three

cells in each hemisphere—the Hadley cell,
the Ferrel cell, and the polar cell.
The movement of air across the planet occurs in a specific pattern. The whole
system is driven by the equator, which is the hottest part of the Earth. Air rises
at the equator, leading to low pressure and rainfall. When the air reaches the
edge of the atmosphere, it cannot go any further and so it travels to the north
and south. The air becomes colder and denser, and falls, creating high
pressure and dry conditions at around 30° north and south of the equator.
Large cells of air are created in this way.
Air rises again at around 60° north and south and descends again around 90°
north and south. The names of the cells are shown in the diagram.
Because the Earth rotates on its axis, circulating air is deflected
toward the right in the Northern Hemisphere and toward the left
in the Southern Hemisphere. This deflection is called the Coriolis
Effect.

It is named after the French mathematician

Gaspard Gustave de Coriolis (1792-1843),
Coriolis
Effect
Walker circulation:
• The Walker circulation, also known as the Walker cell, is
a conceptual model of the air flow in the tropics in the
lower atmosphere.
• Parcels of air follow a closed circulation in the zonal and
vertical directions, caused by differences in heat
distribution between ocean and land.
• It was discovered by Sir Gilbert Walker, an early-20th-
century director of British observatories in India.
• He discovers a link between the periodic pressure
variations in the Indian ocean and those between the
eastern and western Pacific, which he termed the "
Southern Oscillation".
• Under normal circumstances, the weather
behaves as expected. But every few years, the
winters become unusually warm or unusually cold,
or the frequency of hurricanes increases or
decreases, and the pattern sets in for an
indeterminate period.
La Nina condition
 Terrestrial or
Planetary
wind system

Air circulation
pattern of earth
General
Circulation
of wind
Planetary winds :
• These winds being controlled by the pressure
belts blow towards the same direction
throughout the whole year.
• Planetary winds are also known as permanent or
prevailing winds
• Blow from high to low pressure, over the earth
surface & oceans throughout the year & in a
particular direction
• These winds are divided into 3 categories viz.
– Trade Winds (Tropical Easterlies)
– Westerlies
– Polar winds (Polar Easterlies)
1. Trade Winds (Tropical Easterlies):
• Winds blowing from subtropical high pressure
area to equatorial low pressure area (Extremely
steady winds). NE and SE trade wind.
• They become gradually hot & dry and hence have
a great capacity to hold moisture.
• They cause considerable rainfall on eastern
margins of the continents as they get moisture
after blowing over oceans.
• These winds converge near equator & form ITCZ,
Here these winds rises & causes heavy rainfall .
• The Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), known by
sailors as the doldrums or the calms because of its
monotonous, windless weather, is the area where the
northeast and southeast trade wind converge. It encircles
Earth near the thermal equator though its specific
position varies seasonally.

• Variation in the location of the intertropical convergence

zone drastically affects rainfall in many equatorial nations,
resulting in the wet and dry seasons of the tropics rather
than the cold and warm seasons of higher latitudes.
Longer term changes in the intertropical convergence
zone can result in severe droughts or flooding in nearby
areas.
The Westerlies :
• Winds blowing from subtropical high pressure belts towards
subtropical low pressure belts
• Blow from S – W to N – E under Coriolis effect in N – Hemisphere &
from N – W to S – E in S – Hemisphere
• Blow from lower latitudes to higher latitudes
• Cause considerable rainfall particularly on western margins of the
continents
• More consistent in direction & blow with stronger force in S –
Hemisphere due to lesser obstructions from continents
• Also known as brave winds or roaring forties, furious fifties &
shrieking sixties according to the varying degree of storminess in the
latitudes in which they blow.
• It must be noted that not all the western coast of the temperate zone
(30* – 60*) receive Westerlies throughout the year due to shifting of
wind belts coz of earth’s inclination.
Polar winds (Polar Easterlies):

• Winds blowing from polar high to sub polar low pressure

belt .
• On their equator ward journey they are deflected
westward to become North easterlies in the Northern
hemisphere and South easterlies in the Southern
hemisphere.
• Are very cold in nature as originate in polar areas & do
not cause much rainfall .
• These winds give birth to cyclones when they come in
contact with westerlies .
• Brings frequent change in weather conditions.
Seasonal winds:
Spatial and Temporal wind
MICRO SCALE WIND

• Seasonal winds are movements of air repetitively

and predictably driven by changes in large-scale
weather patterns.

• One of the most commonly recognized seasonal

winds are the monsoon winds.

• thunderstorms and heavy showers-Indian monsoon.

• A monsoon is a wind in low-latitude climates
that seasonally changes direction between
winter and summer. Monsoons usually blow
from the land in winter (called the dry phase,
because the wind is composed of cool, dry
air), and from water to the land in summer
(called the wet phase, because the wind is
composed of warm, moist air), causing a
drastic change in the precipitation and
temperature patterns of the area impacted by
the monsoon.
Indian Monsoon
• Although the most pronounced
monsoon system is in eastern and
southern Asia, monsoons can also be
observed in West Africa, Australia, or
the Pacific Ocean. Even in the
southwestern United States, a smaller
scale monsoonal circulation system
exists (called North American
monsoon, Mexican monsoon,
or Arizona monsoon).
Others area
Local winds/Regional winds:

• Mesoscale winds are winds that blow across

areas of the surface ranging from a few miles
to a hundred miles in width. Mesoscale winds
are better known as local winds or regional
winds. A local wind can persist anywhere from
several minutes to several days. Local winds
can be driven by temperature and pressure
differences or by variations in topography, the
shape and height of Earth's surface features.
General types:
Sea and land breezes
Mountain and valley breezes
Katabatic winds
Desert winds
Cold winds
Sea and Land Breezes:

• Sea and land breezes are types of

thermal circulation systems that develop at
the interface of land and ocean. At this
interface, the dissimilar heating and cooling
characteristics of land and water initiate the
development of an atmospheric pressure
gradient which causes the air in these areas to
flow.
 Daytime
development of
sea breeze.

ghttime development of land breeze.

Mountain and Valley Breezes:
• Mountain and valley breezes are common in regions with
great topographic relief .The main reason they occur is also
the difference in heating of the areas:

• during the day, the valley and the air around it warms and
because it is less dense, it rises, and thus, a gentle upslope
wind occurs. This wind is called the valley breeze.

• The opposite happens and night, when the slopes cool down
quickly, causing the surrounding air also to cool and glide
down from the mountain to the valley, forming a mountain
breeze (also called gravity winds or drainage winds).
 Daytime development of
valley breeze.

Nightime development
of mountain breeze.
Katabatic wind:
• a strong wind that travels down a mountain under
the force of gravity, and is stronger than a valley
breeze. katabatic wind (named from the Greek
word κατάβασις katabasis, meaning "descending")
is a drainage wind, a wind that carries high-density
air from a higher elevation down a slope under the
force of gravity. Such winds are sometimes also
called fall winds; the spelling catabatic winds is also
used. Katabatic winds can rush down elevated
slopes at hurricane speeds.
Cold katabatic winds:
• "mistral" of southern France.
• eastern Europe is called the "bora.
• "papagayo" of Pacific coast of Central America.

Warm katabatic winds:

• North America - chinook.
• Foehn also spelled "föhn," that flows down from the
Alps onto the plains of Austria and Germany.
• The Santa Ana.
Desert winds:
• Santa Ana
• the southwestern United States - haboob.
• The harmattan -blows across the continent to
Africa's west coast
• The "leste"
• The sirocco
• "shahali" ,chichili"
• the "khamsin" ,The "simoom", "Gharbi"
• The "berg" ,The "shamal"
Cold winds:
• Australia's "southerly buster"
• central Asia is called the "buran"
• Alaska's "burga" , *nor'easter-coast of New England.
• A cold, dry wind that comes from the north or
northeast and invades southern Europe is called a
"bise".

• The "pampero" (pronounced pahm-PAIR-oh) is a South

American wind.
• The coldest local wind of all is the "whirly." The whirly,
sometimes classified as a storm, is a small, violent
squall in Antarctica
Geostrophic Wind:

• Winds balanced by the Coriolis and Pressure

Gradient forces
• The geostrophic flow is the theoretical wind that
would result from an exact balance between the
Coriolis force and the pressure gradient force. This
condition is called geostrophic
equilibrium or geostrophic balance (also known
as geostrophy). The geostrophic wind is directed
parallel to isobars .
Process:
• An air parcel initially at rest will move from high
pressure to low pressure because of the
pressure gradient force (PGF). However, as that air
parcel begins to move, it is deflected by the
Coriolis force to the right in the northern
hemisphere (to the left on the southern
hemisphere). As the wind gains speed, the
deflection increases until the Coriolis force equals
the pressure gradient force. At this point, the wind
will be blowing parallel to the isobars. When this
happens, the wind is referred to as geostrophic.
Gradient Wind:

• Non-geostrophic winds which blow parallel

to isobars.The gradient wind is a balance of
the Pressure Gradient Force, centrifugal and
Coriolis. A geostrophic wind becomes a
gradient wind when the wind begins flowing
through curved height contours. The curving
motion introduces a centrifugal (outward
fleeing) force.
Types