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Atmospheric Circulation
Hadley Cells continued
3) Sinking air in the "Horse Latitudes"
As the air aloft moves poleward, it cools and bunches up. This bunching up, or "convergence", is because the circumference of the Earth gets smaller at higher latitudes.
Eventually, around 30 deg latitude, the air sinks. The sinking air dries and warms and results in a band of high surface pressure, called the subtropical highs. Most of the world's major deserts are located beneath the subtropical highs.
Travelers to the New World learned the hard way that winds are calm in the ocean regions of the subtropical highs. According to legend, their ships were often stranded by the light winds and the travelers would either throw their horses overboard to lighten the ship or eat them. That is why this region is sometimes called the "horse latitudes."
Next page -> Hadley Cell continued
Links and resources
Hadley Cells continued
3) Sinking air in the "Horse Latitudes"As the air aloft moves poleward, it cools and bunches up. This bunching up, or "convergence", is because the circumference of the Earth gets smaller at higher latitudes.
Eventually, around 30 deg latitude, the air sinks. The sinking air dries and warms and results in a band of high surface pressure, called the subtropical highs. Most of the world's major deserts are located beneath the subtropical highs.
Travelers to the New World learned the hard way that winds are calm in the ocean regions of the subtropical highs. According to legend, their ships were often stranded by the light winds and the travelers would either throw their horses overboard to lighten the ship or eat them. That is why this region is sometimes called the "horse latitudes."
Next page -> Hadley Cell continued
Links and resources
