Planetary winds form distinct wind belts around Earth between equator and poles, primarily due to:
Uneven solar heating and the rotation of Earth
Planetary (permanent) winds are the trade winds, the westerlies and the polar easterlies, which blow throughout the year in fixed belts between the equator and the poles.
The Sun heats the Earth unevenly: the equatorial region receives the most insolation and the polar regions the least. This creates a pattern of pressure belts, with the equatorial low, subtropical highs, subpolar lows and polar highs, and air moves from high-pressure to low-pressure belts.
The rotation of the Earth produces the Coriolis force, which deflects moving air to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere. So the winds become the north-east and south-east trades, the westerlies and the polar easterlies in distinct belts.
Volcanic eruptions and daily temperature changes in cities are local, short-lived events, and ocean currents are themselves driven largely by the planetary winds, so none of these can set up the global wind belts.
Hence, Uneven solar heating and the rotation of Earth.
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Important Questions from Climatology
In which of the following atmospheric layers ozone gas is concentrated?
Ozone layer depletion is a major phenomenon in :
By which layer of the atmosphere the ultra-violet rays are absorbed ?
The layer of very rare air above the mesosphere is called the _____________.
Air moves from the region where the air _______.
