Global Weather Patterns

ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE
• Atmospheric pressure is
the weight of the
atmosphere on the
earth’s surface.

• Atmospheric pressure is 6.7 kg

per square inch at sea level.
Imagine a one-inch cube of air
pushing down on your head
weighing about 7 kg.
The top of your head
is approximately 25
square inches which
adds up to 167kg of
air pushing down on
top of your head.
It is measured on a Mercury or Aneroid
Barometer and the reading is given in
hectaPascals [ hPa]
Atmospheric pressure is greatest at sea level
where it measures on average 1013,2 hPa.
High pressures occur when there are lots of air
molecules exerting pressure and when air is
sinking. [ also called an anti-cyclone]
Low pressures occur when there is less air
pushing down and air is rising. [ also called a
cyclone]
 HP

LP
HP
 High Pressure / Low Pressure /
anti cyclone Cyclone
Type of air Sinking stable air Rising unstable air
movement
Type of weather Clear , calm Storms , windy , [all
the weather trouble
makers]
Appearance on
synoptic chart
HP
LP
Air blows
out diverges Air blows in
converges

What do you see on Clear , no cloud can see Clouds

satellite photo land and sea on photo

Air movement Anti-clockwise round a HP Clockwise round a LP

around the system in the SH in SH
High Atmospheric Low Atmospheric
Pressure Pressure
 FACTORS AFFECTING
PRESSURE
• Atmospheric pressure decreases with
altitude because the higher you go the
less air molecules there are.
• Most of South Africa’s plateau interior is
at an altitude of 1500 m , so
atmospheric pressure there is much
lower , approx. 850 hPa , while coastal
regions have a pressure of 1013,2 hPa.
Pressure decreases with altitude
• Pressure is affected by temperature. Hot air is
unstable , it rises and expands creating a
low pressure at the surface .
• Cold air is Stable , it sinks and contracts ,
creating a high pressure at the surface.
• The pressure over the continents is therefore
generally lower in summer and higher in
winter.
A parcel of air rises and cools until it is cooler than the
surrounding air . It will then sink back down . This is stable air
A parcel of air rises and cools but does not cool fast enough for its
temperature to drop below the surrounding air . This parcel of air
will continue to rise – Unstable air .
When this happens clouds form and we have a storm
GLOBAL PRESSURE BELTS
H.P

L.P

H.P

L.P

H.P

L.P

H.P
GLOBAL PRESSURE BELTS
H.P Polar High

L.P Convergence Sub Polar Low

H.P Divergence Sub Tropical High

L.P Convergence ITCZ Intertropical Convergence Zone

H.P Divergence Sub Tropical High

L.P Convergence Sub Polar Low

H.P Polar High

• The earth has seven main pressure belts:

• 1. Polar High Pressure cells : Found at the north and South

poles [ 90°N and S ] , caused by constant low
temperatures.
• 2. Equatorial Low Pressure Belt : At the equator , also
known as the Intertropical Convergence Zone [ I.T.C.Z] .
or the Doldrums . Caused by constant high temperatures.
• 3. Sub Tropical Highs : 30° N and 30°S , Air which has
risen at the Equator , cools and sinks back down to
earth in this region , causing a high pressure. Also known
as the Horse Latitudes.
• 4. Sub polar Low pressure Belts ; 60° N and 60° S . air
moving out of the polar highs , warms expands and
rises forming the temperate lows.

– Pressure belts 1 and 2 are constant through out the year ,

belts 3 and 4 vary in strength and position .
 Wind
• Wind is the horizontal movement
of air . It is caused by variations
in pressure .
WIND ALWAYS MOVES FROM A
HIGH PRESSURE TO A LOW
PRESSURE
• The strength of the wind is
determined by the pressure
gradient .
• If there is a big difference in
pressure the wind will be strong .
• If the difference in pressure is
small the wind will be gentle.
 Isobar
• Copy this definition down at the top of the
page , above the heading wind

• Isobar : a line on a map , joining all places

of equal atmospheric pressure
 1000 992
996
1000
1004 1004
P.G.F

1008

P.G.F
1012
1008
Gentle 1016
Strong
wind 1020
wind 1024
1012 1028
1016
Isobars are far apart- gentle pressure Isobars are close together- steep
gradient force = gentle breeze pressure gradient force = strong wind
 The PGF causes air to flow from high pressure to low
pressure. In the absence of any other forces, wind would
blow directly from high to low pressure. The PGF also
affects the speed of the wind. As the PGF becomes stronger
(i.e. pressure changing rapidly with distance), the wind speed
increases. When looking on a surface map, strong winds
would occur in locations where the isobars are packed close
together (strong PGF).
 Winds converge on an area of low pressure, and
diverge from an area of high pressure .
The Intertropical Convergence Zone is an area along the equator
where two sets of winds meet.

Divergence
HP

Cold
Cold
Hot
Air
Air Air
rises sinks
sinks

NE Trade Winds LP SE Trade Winds

HP HP
Convergence
30 °N 0° 30 °S
 The sub-tropical High pressure belt at 30° is a zone of
divergence , as the winds blow away from 30° N and S
towards the Equator and the temperate low pressure
belts at 60°

Convergence

Cold Ferrel cell Hot

Hot Hadley Cell
Air
Air Air
rises rises
sinks
Westerlies
SE Trade winds
Divergence
0° 30°S 60 °S
• Coriolis Force : The
rotation of the earth
causes all moving
particles on the surface
of the earth to be
deflected .

• Ferrels Law : Coriolus

force causes a moving
object to be deflected to
the left in the Southern
Hemisphere and the right
in the northern
hemisphere.
•
The Coriolis force is created by Earth's rotation, which deflects air
masses as they move over long distances.
It is strongest near the poles and nonexistent at the equator.
Coriolis force deflects any moving particle on the surface of the
earth to the left in the SH and the right in the NH
•The Coriolis Force is due to the earth's rotation.
•This force causes moving objects (i.e. air, planes, birds,
etc) to deflect to the right of their motion in the Northern
Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere.
•The Coriolis Force is strongest near the poles and zero at
the equator.
 Geostrophic flow
• Not in your notes , please copy down
• When there is a balance between the Coriolis
effect and the pressure gradient force.
• This condition is called geostrophic balance.
• The geostrophic wind blows parallel to isobars
• This balance seldom occurs in nature because of
friction with the land . Usually it only occurs over
the ocean and in the upper atmosphere
Geostrophic flow
Planetary wind belts
Polar Easterlies

Westerlies

N.E Trade Winds

S.E
• We name winds after the direction they
come from .
• So a South-Easter is blowing from the
SE
 Tri-cellular model

Polar Front
90 °N

60 °N

30°N

0°
The Hadley Cell
Heating at the
equator causes air to
rise , creating a L.P at
the surface .
The rising air spreads
out cools and sinks
back down to earth at
30°N and S of the
equator .
 The Impact of the Hadley
Cell on global climate
• Rising air at the equator causes convectional
thunderstorms, resulting in heavy rainfall through-
out the year in the tropics
• Sinking air at 30° causes dry conditions . Many of
the worlds deserts are located at these latitudes.
South Africa falls within this area of sinking air
which explains why we have a low average rainfall
and experience droughts.
Tropical cyclones form within the Hadley cell due
to unstable conditions.
Hadley Cell
ITCZ
Hadley Cell
 The Ferrel Cell

• The cell of air circulation occurs

between 30 and 60°N and S of the
equator .
• Some of the sinking air at 30° will move
back to the equator , the rest will move
towards the poles.
• At 60° this air will meet cold air from the
poles.
 This cell includes the subtropical H.P cells which bring dry
stable air to South Africa.
 The area where the two air masses meet [ at 60° ] is called
the polar front.
 The warmer lighter air from 30° is forced to rise over the
cold polar air causing frontal rainfall . These weather systems
are known as mid-latitude cyclones.
 The Polar Cell
• The air circulation between 60° and 90° N and S is known
as the polar cell .
• The rising air at the polar front subsides at the poles
forming the polar HP .
• Air moves from this HP back to 60°.
 Exercise : Study the diagram below and
answer the questions which follow.

D E
A

30 °N 0° 30 °S
 1. Name the pressure zone A ITCZ
2. 2. Name the Pressure areas found at 30°
1. Sub Tropical High
3. 3. Complete the arrows in the diagram to show how air moves in this cell
.

B C
A

30 °N 0° 30 °S
4. Name the cell being depicted. Hadley cell
5. Name the winds at B and C
SE and NE Trade winds
6. Explain how this cell affects South Africa’s
weather . Sinking air at 30 degrees forms
deserts
7. Explain why the winds at B and C do not blow
straight to the equator. Coriolus force ,
moving particles are deflected to the left in
SH and right in NH
8. 8. In the space below recreate the polar cell , fill in as
1. many labels as you can to help explain how this
2. cell works.

Cold Air
air Polar expands
sinks Front warms
and rises
Polar Easterlies

90° 60°
SHIFTING PRESSURE BELTS
• The tilt of the earth’s axis and its movement around the
sun have an impact on the earths temperature and
position of its pressure belts .
• The tri-cellular model is based on the sun being directly
overhead the equator.
• But as the earth moves around the sun the suns rays
move between the Tropic of Cancer [June/July] and the
Tropic of Capricorn [ December , January ].
• The Southern Hemisphere is hottest when the sun is
directly over the tropic of Capricorn [ 21 December] .
• This heat creates LP and rising air over the region ,
consequently all the pressure belts move southwards
including the equatorial LP [ITCZ]
• The opposite occurs in June when the sun is directly
overhead the Tropic of Cancer . All the pressure belts
move northwards.
 How the shifting pressure belts
affects South Africa
• This shifting of the pressure belts will affect the
weather being experienced .
• A good example of the effect of these moving
pressure systems is in the SW Cape .
• The subtropical HP belt moves northwards in
winter , this allows the LP mid-latitude cyclones
to move up and bring frontal rain to the Cape.