Scribd
Upload
5 views2 pages

Three Cell Model of Atmospheric Circulation

The Three Cell Model of Atmospheric Circulation describes the average atmospheric transport of energy through three distinct cells: the Hadley Cell, Ferrel Cell, and Polar Cell. The Hadley Cell features rising air at the equator leading to the ITCZ and trade winds, while the Ferrel Cell is characterized by prevailing westerlies and the polar front at 60N. The Polar Cell involves sinking air at the poles, creating high pressure and polar easterly winds, which interact with subtropical air at the polar front, influencing weather patterns.

Uploaded by

tarikul islam
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
5 views2 pages

Three Cell Model of Atmospheric Circulation

The Three Cell Model of Atmospheric Circulation describes the average atmospheric transport of energy through three distinct cells: the Hadley Cell, Ferrel Cell, and Polar Cell. The Hadley Cell features rising air at the equator leading to the ITCZ and trade winds, while the Ferrel Cell is characterized by prevailing westerlies and the polar front at 60N. The Polar Cell involves sinking air at the poles, creating high pressure and polar easterly winds, which interact with subtropical air at the polar front, influencing weather patterns.

Uploaded by

tarikul islam
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 2

Three Cell Model of Atmospheric Circulation :

This model represents the average circulation of the atmosphere and is used to describe
the atmospheric transport of energy.

Hadley Cell

The intense incoming solar radiation in the equatorial region creates rising air. The
rising air cools condenses and forms a region of intense clouds and heavy precipitation.
This area is call the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) and corresponds regions
over which the tropical rain forests are found. The ITCZ moves north and south
following the sun during the year. Because the stratosphere is stable, rising air that
reaches the tropopause moves poleward. By the time the air moving northward reached
about 30 N it has become a westerly wind (it is moving to the east) due to the Coriolis
force. Because of conservation of angular momentum, the poleward moving air
increases speed. The increased speed and the Coriolis force are responsible for
the subtropical jet. This poleward moving air piles up (notice on a globe how lines of
constant longitude converge) forming an area of high pressure at the surface--
the subtropical highs. Some of the air sinks toward the surface. Subsidence inhibits
cloud formation and this is the reason many large deserts are found near 30N and 30S.
Once the sinking air reaches the ground, some flows to the equator, turning west (in the
northern hemisphere) as it goes due to the Coriolis force. This surface air forms
the trade winds, that blow steadily from the northeast in the northern hemisphere and
southeast in the southern hemisphere.

Ferrel Cell

Some of the diverging air at the surface near 30N moves poleward and is deflected to
the east by the Coriolis force resulting in the prevailing westerly winds at the surface.
At about 60N the air rises cools and condenses and forms clouds and precipitation. This
is the general region of the polar front. Some of this rising air returns equatorward.

Polar Cell

Sinking air at the poles warms and results in a high pressure over the poles. At the
surface, the poleward moving air gets pulled to the right by the Coriolis force (in the
northern hemisphere) forming the polar easterly winds. The cold polar air meets with
the warm subtropical air moving poleward and forms the boundary between these two
air masses known as the polar front. The warm air from the subtropics pushes up over
the cold equatorward moving polar air. This polar front is the source of much of the
changing weather in the US, particularly in fall, winter and spring. The large
temperature contrast results in the polar front jet stream in the vicinity of the polar front.
Major surface weather characteristics of the Three Cell Model:

• The Equatorial Doldrums: Rising air creates calms or doldrums in the equatorial
region.
• ITCZ: Rapidly upward moving air forms this line of convection often viewed on
satellite images.
• The Trade Winds: steady northeast winds in the northern hemisphere.
• Horse Latitudes: The descending branch of the Hadley cell marked by calm
winds and high pressure at the surface.
• Prevailing Westerly winds: Major air flow pattern of the midlatitude (i.e., 30N
to 60N) regions of the earth.
• Polar Front: Boundary between the cold polar air flowing to the equator and the
warm subtropical air moving poleward.
• Polar Easterly winds: Cold polar air that is moving southwest (in the northern
hemisphere) where it eventually meets with the prevailing westerlies to form the
polar front.

You might also like