Global Patterns of Heating and Circulation

807 Words4 Pages
Global Patterns of Heating and Circulation Atmospheric circulation is a very large scale movement of air which restores a balance of heath on the Earth. The change brought about from atmospheric circulation varies from year to year because of several factors. The factors include differences of temperature and surface, mid-latitude depressions, position of the earth, tropical cells, and other random pressure systems. Consequently, the main factor affecting the atmosphere is the invasion of solar radiation, which is heavily dependent on season and the latitude. When the Earth is heated from energy generated from the Sun it is referred to as Global Atmospheric Circulation, however, the heat is usually unevenly diffused across the Earth's surface. Equatorial and Tropical regions gain a lot more solar energy than the Mid-Latitudes and Polar Regions. The tropics are the highest recipient of this heat, it gets more heat radiation than it end up exuding. On the contrary, the Polar Regions exude more heat radiation than it gains. Granted that there was no heat being transmitted from the Tropics to the Polar Regions, the tropics would still continue to acquire more heat and the Polar Regions will continually get colder. The latitudinal heat disproportion is the cause of the circulation of the atmosphere and the oceans. Nearly 60% of heat energy is recycled around the planet by the atmospheric circulation and nearly 40% is recycled by the currents of the ocean. Single Cell Circulation is a process whereby heat is transferred from the equator to the poles, this occurs when air moves from the tropics to the poles and then back. In the 1700’s the single-cell circulation model was introduced by Hadley. With the Hadley or Tropical cell the low latitude air travels towards the Equator and then heats up. During the time the temperature raises the air
Open Document