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Essay / Mechanisms producing heavy precipitation in the tropics
“The global circulation can be described as the global wind system providing the necessary transport of heat from tropical to polar latitudes” (metoffice.gov. uk). Atmospheric heating and circulation patterns are controlled by three airflow cells between the Earth's poles and the equator. These three cells are the polar cell, the Ferrel cell and the Hadley cell. The polar cell originates at lower latitudes, its warm air rises and moves to higher altitudes, where the cooled air will descend due to high pressure. Ferrel cell winds are complicated; it is a high-altitude boomerang flow of air toward the tropics that joins sinking air at lower latitudes near the Hadley Cell. When moist and warm air from both hemispheres brought by the trade winds meets in the intertropical convergence zone, the low pressure zones move up to 30 degrees of latitude until they descend into high pressure zones, which then causes convection in the atmosphere, leading to heavy precipitation in the atmosphere. tropics. This cycle of winds is called the Hadley cell. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Heavy precipitation occurs in areas where there is a continuous and rapid rise of air masses. In the tropics, there is a convergence of trade winds in the ITCZ which rise due to low pressure. Additionally, evaporation rates are high. Thus, humid air rises as it cools. On the other hand, warm air is able to condense and hold more water, resulting in heavy precipitation (Schumacher, 2003). It is at temperate latitudes that the convergence of humid subtropical air and cold polar air causes forced condensation. Additionally, the region receives the most intense solar radiation per unit area, leading to increased evaporation. Additionally, the low pressure system causes an increase in the amount of air needed for precipitation. Clouds build up due to rising air that picks up moisture from dry lands at lower latitudes (Schumacher, 2003). In the tropical zone, light precipitation can occur due to warm, prevailing winds impeded by mountain ranges since the mountains force moisture from these winds down the mountainside, blocking the winds, while the rain leaves on the other side with light precipitation. As the air rises, moisture is picked up in the dry regions of lower latitudes, causing clouds to form, leading to a large amount of precipitation, because precipitation is largely involved in temperature, meaning that the higher the temperature is low, the less moisture it can retain because it is very hot nearby. In the tropics, humidity in the air will have to interact with colder weather to lose it. Precipitation therefore remains low. This levitation is known as a rain shadow. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Tropical dry forests and savannah biomes are located in the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) where heavy precipitation is observed, due to the amount of sunlight near the equator. Tropical savannahs are covered with grasslands and a few scattered trees, while tropical dry forests have more trees that are green during the rainy season and withered during the dry season. The two biomes are..