AP®︎ Environmental Science: Topic 4.5 Flashcards

Large-scale, persistent atmospheric movements produced by unequal solar heating, pressure differences, and Coriolis deflection

Vertical movement in which warm, less-dense air rises and cooler, denser air sinks

A large circulation loop of rising, sinking, and horizontally moving air that transports heat through the atmosphere

The force that drives air from areas of higher pressure toward areas of lower pressure

The idealized global circulation model containing a Hadley, Ferrel, and polar cell in each hemisphere

Circulation from 0° to about 30° latitude, with air rising at the equator, sinking near 30°, and returning equatorward as trade winds

Midlatitude circulation from about 30° to 60°, with surface air moving poleward as prevailing westerlies, rising near 60°, and returning aloft

Circulation from about 60° to 90°, with cold air sinking at the poles, moving equatorward as polar easterlies, and rising near 60°.

Alternating pressure zones created by circulation: low at 0°, high near 30°, low near 60°, and high at 90°.

The warm, wet equatorial low-pressure zone where Northern and Southern Hemisphere trade winds converge and air rises

The weak and variable surface winds associated with the Intertropical Convergence Zone

Subtropical high-pressure belts near 30° latitude characterized by descending air and often weak surface winds

The apparent deflection of moving air to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and left in the Southern Hemisphere due to Earth’s rotation

The direction from which wind most commonly blows in a region

East-to-west surface winds from about 30° toward the equator: northeast trades in the Northern Hemisphere and southeast trades in the Southern Hemisphere

West-to-east surface winds between about 30° and 60° latitude that blow from subtropical highs toward subpolar lows

East-to-west surface winds between about 60° and the poles that blow from polar highs toward subpolar lows