4: Global Circulation
- Page ID
- 2255
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- Explain the effect of surface temperature on atmospheric pressure
- Evaluate the effect of latitude, altitude, cloud cover, and coastal or inland location on local surface temperature
- Describe the effect of the Coriolis force on high and low atmospheric pressure systems in the Northern and Southern hemisphere
- Relate the Coriolis force to the major (global) wind systems on the plane
- 4.4: Global Circulation
- Global circulation is driven by pressure gradients in the atmosphere, the Coriolis force, and the friction of the atmosphere against the lithosphere. All of these may be summarized in a phenomenon we call ‘wind’. Wind is the horizontal movement of air in response to differences in pressure. Winds are the way that the atmosphere tries to balance the uneven distribution of pressure over the earth’s surface.