What are global winds?

Global winds are a system of wind patterns distributing warm air unevenly across
Earth. If Earth did not rotate, winds would move from the equator to their respective
poles. Because Earth rotates, winds appear to be moving east in the Coriolis effect.
Global winds are composed of three different wind patterns: trade winds, polar
easterlies and westerlies.
The trade winds are located from 30 degrees latitude, north and south, to the
equator. When cooling air sinks, the air flows steadily back down the equator. These
winds are favored by sailors because of their warmth and steady stream. Columbus
was famous for favoring the trade winds.
The polar easterlies are located at a latitude of about 60 to 90 degrees in both
hemispheres. Since these winds originate in the east, they are called easterlies.
However, the wind direction is quite irregular, occasionally blowing to the west or
north. Rising air flows toward the poles, and extremely cold sinking air flows back
toward the equator.
The westerlies wind pattern is responsible for most of the weather flow in the United
States. Located between 30 to 60 degree latitude in both hemispheres, the
westerlies winds originate in the west and flow to the east. Sinking air continues to
move toward the poles.
Objective: To learn about the various global wind patterns and how they
distribute heat throughout Earth
If you combine the Coriolis Effect with the uneven heating of Earth, a global wind
pattern begins to emerge and take shape. These Global Winds are the dominant
prevailing wind patterns that blow in a fairly constant, steady direction across our
earth. Global winds are comprised of three previaling winds: Tradewinds, Westerlies,
and Polar Easterlies. A prevailling wind is defined as a wind that blows
predominantly from a single general direction.(). Global Wind Patterns are important
because they distribute and circulate heat from the equatorial regions to the polar
regions by convection. Think of these winds as the Earth's heating and air
conditioning system. Notice these winds become deflected and appear to "curve" as
a result of the Coriolis Effect. In the diagram below, notice the location direction of
the Tradewinds, Westerlies, and Easterlies.
Global Wind Patterns wind belts of the general circulation
The global wind pattern is also known as the "general circulation" and the surface
winds of each hemisphere are divided into three wind belts:
Polar Easterlies: From 60-90 degrees latitude.
Prevailing Westerlies: From 30-60 degrees latitude (aka Westerlies).
Tropical Easterlies: From 0-30 degrees latitude (aka Trade Winds).
The easterly trade winds of both hemispheres converge at an area near the equator
called the "Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ)", producing a narrow band of
clouds and thunderstorms that encircle portions of the globe.
How do global winds affect climate?
Global winds help to distribute heat and water vapor around the Earth, which
influences temperature and precipitation patterns around the entire globe. Global
winds are caused by pressure differences in the atmosphere from warm air rising to
the poles. The flowing air carries water vapor and creates specific weather patterns,
such as increased rainfall in the tropics. CONTINUE READING
FULL ANSWER
Because the sun is much closer to the Earth around the equator, it is there that air
gets heated and water evaporates the most. The warm, moist air rises and flows to
the poles where there is then a change in pressure, causing clouds and rainfall
around the equator. The warm air traveling to the poles carries heat and water
vapor to areas that the sun doesn't normally heat as often. These global winds
shape the Earth's climate by transporting heat and water vapor.
Prevailing winds are winds that blow predominantly from a single general direction
over a particular point on the Earth's surface. The dominant winds are the trends in
direction of wind with the highest speed over a particular point on the Earth's
surface. A region's prevailing and dominant winds are often affected by global
patterns of movement in the Earth's atmosphere.[1] In general, easterly flow occurs
at low and medium latitudes globally. In the mid-latitudes, westerly winds are the
rule and their strength is largely determined by the polar cyclone. In areas where
winds tend to be light, the sea breeze/land breeze cycle is the most important to the
prevailing wind; in areas which have variable terrain, mountain and valley breezes
dominate the wind pattern. Highly elevated surfaces can induce a thermal low,
which then augments the environmental wind flow.
Wind roses are tools used to determine the direction of the prevailing wind.
Knowledge of the prevailing wind allows the development of prevention strategies
for wind erosion of agricultural land, such as across the Great Plains. Sand dunes
can orient themselves, or perpendicular to, the prevailing wind regime within
coastal and desert locations. Insects drift along with the prevailing wind, while birds
are able to fly more independently of it. Prevailing winds in mountainous locations
can lead to significant rainfall gradients within the topography, ranging from wet
across windward-facing slopes to desert-like conditions along their lee slopes.
Prevailing winds can have differences due to the uneven heating of the Earth.
A wind rose is a graphic tool used by meteorologists to give a succinct view of how
wind speed and direction are typically distributed at a particular location. Presented
in a polar coordinate grid, the wind rose shows the frequency of winds blowing from
particular directions. The length of each spoke around the circle is related to the
frequency that the wind blows from a particular direction per unit time. Each
concentric circle represents a different frequency, emanating from zero at the
center to increasing frequencies at the outer circles. A wind rose plot may contain
additional information, in that each spoke is broken down into color-coded bands
that show wind direction ranges. Wind roses typically use 8 or 16 cardinal
directions, such as north (N), NNE, NE, etc.,[2] although they may be subdivided
into as many as 32 directions.[3]
The trade winds (also called trades) are the prevailing pattern of easterly surface
winds found in the tropics near the Earth's equator,[4] equatorward of the
subtropical ridge. These winds blow predominantly from the northeast in the
Northern Hemisphere and from the southeast in the Southern Hemisphere.[5] The
trade winds act as the steering flow for tropical cyclones that form over world's
oceans, guiding their path westward.[6] Trade winds also steer African dust
westward across the Atlantic Ocean into the Caribbean sea, as well as portions of
southeast North America.[7]
he westerlies or the prevailing westerlies are the prevailing winds in the middle
latitudes (i.e., between 35 and 65 degrees latitude), which blow in areas poleward of
the high pressure area known as the subtropical ridge in the horse latitudes.[8][9]
These prevailing winds blow from the west to the east,[10] and steer extra-tropical
cyclones in this general manner. The winds are predominantly from the southwest in
the Northern Hemisphere and from the northwest in the Southern Hemisphere.[5]
They are strongest in the winter when the pressure is lower over the poles, such as
when the polar cyclone is strongest, and weakest during the summer when the
polar cyclone is weakest and when pressures are higher over the poles.[11]
Together with the trade winds, the westerlies enabled a round-trip trade route for
sailing ships crossing the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, as the westerlies lead to the
development of strong ocean currents in both hemispheres. The westerlies can be
particularly strong, especially in the southern hemisphere, where there is less land
in the middle latitudes to cause the flow pattern to amplify, which slows the winds
down. The strongest westerly winds in the middle latitudes are called the Roaring
Forties, between 40 and 50 degrees south latitude, within the Southern Hemisphere.
[12] The westerlies play an important role in carrying the warm, equatorial waters
and winds to the western coasts of continents,[13][14] especially in the southern
hemisphere because of its vast oceanic expanse.
The westerlies explain why coastal North America tends to be wet, especially from
Northern California to Alaska, during the winter. Differential heating from the sun
between the land which is quite cool and the ocean which is relatively warm causes
areas of low pressure to develop over land. This results in moisture rich air from the
Pacific Ocean to flow from the west, resulting in frequent rainstorms and wind on
the coast. This moisture continues to flow eastward until orographic lift caused by
the Coast, Cascade, Columbia and Rocky Mountains cause a rain shadow effect
which limits further penetration of these systems and associated rainfall eastward.
This trend reverses in the summer when strong heating of the land causes high
pressure and tends to block moisture-rich air from the Pacific from reaching land.
This explains why most of coastal North America in the middle latitudes experiences
dry summers, despite abundant rainfall in the winter.[8][9]
The polar easterlies (also known as Polar Hadley cells) are the 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.
Like trade winds and unlike the westerlies, these prevailing winds blow from the
east to the west, and are often weak and irregular.[15] Due to the low sun angle,
cold air builds up and subsides at the pole creating surface high-pressure areas,
forcing an equatorward outflow of air;[16] that outflow is deflected westward by the
Coriolis effect.
Sea breeze and land breeze
In areas where the wind flow is light, sea breezes and land breezes are important
factors in a location's prevailing winds. The sea is warmed by the sun to a greater
depth than the land due to its greater specific heat.[17] The sea therefore has a
greater capacity for absorbing heat than the land, so the surface of the sea warms
up more slowly than the land's surface. As the temperature of the surface of the
land rises, the land heats the air above it. The warm air is less dense and so it rises.
This rising air over the land lowers the sea level pressure by about 0.2%. The cooler
air above the sea, now with higher sea level pressure, flows towards the land into
the lower pressure, creating a cooler breeze near the coast.
The strength of the sea breeze is directly proportional to the temperature difference
between the land mass and the sea. If an off-shore wind of 8 knots (15 km/h) exists,
the sea breeze is not likely to develop. At night, the land cools off more quickly than
the ocean due to differences in their specific heat values, which forces the daytime
sea breeze to dissipate. If the temperature onshore cools below the temperature
offshore, the pressure over the water will be lower than that of the land,
establishing a land breeze, as long as an onshore wind is not strong enough to
oppose it.[18]
Over elevated surfaces, heating of the ground exceeds the heating of the
surrounding air at the same altitude above sea level, creating an associated thermal
low over the terrain and enhancing any lows which would have otherwise existed,
[19][20] and changing the wind circulation of the region. In areas where there is
rugged topography that significantly interrupts the environmental wind flow, the
wind can change direction and accelerate parallel to the wind obstruction. This
barrier jet can increase the low level wind by 45%.[21] In mountainous areas, local
distortion of the airflow is more severe. Jagged terrain combines to produce
unpredictable flow patterns and turbulence, such as rotors. Strong updrafts,
downdrafts and eddies develop as the air flows over hills and down valleys. Wind
direction changes due to the contour of the land. If there is a pass in the mountain
range, winds will rush through the pass with considerable speed due to the Bernoulli
principle that describes an inverse relationship between speed and pressure. The
airflow can remain turbulent and erratic for some distance downwind into the flatter
countryside. These conditions are dangerous to ascending and descending
airplanes.[22]
Daytime heating and nighttime cooling of the hilly slopes lead to day to night
variations in the airflow, similar to the relationship between sea breeze and land
breeze. At night, the sides of the hills cool through radiation of the heat. The air
along the hills becomes cooler and denser, blowing down into the valley, drawn by
gravity. This is known a katabatic wind or mountain breeze. If the slopes are covered
with ice and snow, the katabatic wind will blow during the day, carrying the cold
dense air into the warmer, barren valleys. The slopes of hills not covered by snow
will be warmed during the day. The air that comes in contact with the warmed
slopes becomes warmer and less dense and flows uphill. This is known as an
anabatic wind or valley breeze.[23]
How Does Prevailing Winds Affect the Climate in an Area? Winds that blow mainly
from one direction during a given period. prevailing winds effect the amount of
precipitation that a region receives If the prevailing winds form warm air, they may
carry moisture

Global wind patterns: Winds are named by the direction from which they blow. The
globe is encircled by six major wind belts, three in each hemisphere. From pole to
equator, they are the polar easterlies, the westerlies, and the trade winds. All six
belts move north in the northern summer and south in the northern winter. Each
belt occupies about 30 degrees of latitude, that is, one third of the way from the
pole to the equator.
Polar Easterlies: At about the latitude of Norway and northward (60-90 degrees), the
Polar easterlies blow irregularly from the east and north.
Polar Front: Between the polar easterlies and the westerlies is the polar front.
Prevailing Westerlies: At about the latitude of Western Europe and the U.S. (30-60
degrees), the Westerlies blow from the west, tending somewhat toward the north.
This causes most weather in the United States to move from west to east.
Horse Latitudes: Where the Westerlies meet the trade winds at about 30 degrees
(Jacksonville, Florida) is the Horse latitudes, also Variables of Cancer, Subtropical
High, or Subtropical ridge. This is a region of high pressure, dry air, and variable
winds, and is associated with deserts over land.
Trade Winds: South of about 30 degrees the northern or northeast trade winds blow
mostly from the northeast toward the equator. These were the sailor's favorite
winds, since the weather was warm, and the winds usually blew steadily in an
advantageous direction. Columbus used these to sail to the Caribbean.
Doldrums: At about the equator is Intertropical Convergence Zone or doldrums, a
region of light and irregular wind broken by occasional thunderstorms and squalls.
The width and exact location of the doldrums is hard to predict. Sailing ships are
sometimes becalmed here for many days waiting for a proper wind.
Southern hemisphere: In the southern hemisphere the belts are reversed. The
southeast trade winds blow from the southeast toward the equator. The southern
equivalent of the horse latitudes (or Variables of Cancer) is called the Variables of
Capricorn. The southern westerlies start somewhat south of South Africa. They tend
to be stronger than the northern westerlies because they are mostly over water
(roaring forties). The southern polar easterlies are mostly over Antarctica.
Seasonal shifts: All of the belts move north during the northern summer and south
during the northern winter. Because global heating and cooling lags behind the
position of the sun, they reach their northernmost latitude at or after the end of the
northern summer. This brought the trade winds within reach of the Spain and
Portugal and determined the sailing time of the Spanish treasure fleet. The
northernmost position of the wind belts corresponds to the Atlantic hurricane
season.
Land and sea breezes: Land gains and loses heat more rapidly than water. During
the day, the land warms more rapidly than the water. The air above land warms,
becomes thinner, and rises, drawing cooler air landward from the sea. At night, the
process reverses, and cool heavy air from the land flows out to sea. These land and
sea breezes are important along the coast.
Monsoon: The annual equivalent of the daily land and sea breezes is the yearly
monsoon. During summer, the continents heat more rapidly than the oceans. Air
over the continents warms, thins and rises drawing cooler moist ocean air landward,
producing a wet season. During winter, the process reverses and cold, dry heavy air
flows outward from the continents, producing a dry season. The monsoon is most
striking in south Asia because of the size of the Eurasian landmass and because the
Himalayas tend to bottle up the air above the continent. Approximations of the
Indian monsoon exist in other places, but they are poorly developed.
The five major ocean gyres
Ocean Gyre: The fact that the westerlies and trade winds blow in opposite directions
and that the continents prevent water from circling the globe contributes to the
formation of circular ocean currents, clockwise in the northern hemisphere and
counterclockwise in the southern hemisphere. The Coriolis force also plays a part.
The trade winds push water west. At the doldrums it flows back east producing the
equatorial countercurrent. See Ocean gyre.
Coriolis force, Hadley cell and other things: In the northern hemisphere, the Coriolis
effect causes wind and water currents to bend to the right (clockwise). Cold heavy
air flows south from the north pole and is bent west, forming the polar easterlies.
Warm air rises at the equator drawing air from the north which bends to the west,
contributing to the trade winds. The Coriolis effect bends the westerlies and trade
winds slightly clockwise in the northern hemisphere.
Hot air rises at the doldrums. As it rises, it cools producing thunderstorms. The dry
air flows north at a high altitude and descends at the horse latitudes and flows back
to the equator with the trade winds. This is called the Hadley cell. There is also a
Ferrel cell over the westerlies and a polar cell over the pole. There are other
complexities, not all of which are properly understood. The Coriolis effect is most
apparent in the path of an object moving longitudinally. On the Earth an object that
moves along a north-south path, or longitudinal line, will undergo apparent
deflection to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern
Hemisphere.
Land and Sea Breezes As the names suggest, the two breezes occur along
coastal areas or areas with adjacent large water bodies. Water and land have
different heating abilities. Water takes a bit more time to warm up and is able to
retain the heat longer than land does.In the day, when the sun is up, the land heats
up very quickly and the air above it warms up a lot more than the air over the
water. The warm air over the land is less dense and begins to rise. Low pressure is
created. The air pressure over the water is higher with cold dense air, which moves
to occupy the space created over the land. The cool air that comes along is called a
sea breeze. In the night, the reverse happens. The land quickly loses its heat whiles
the water retains its warmth. This means the air over the water is warmer, less
dense and begins to rise. Low pressure is created over the water. Cold and dense air
over the land begins to move to the water surface to replace the warmer rising air.
The cool breeze from the land is called a land breeze.