The Wind and Pressure
over the Ocean
PRESENTED BY: GROUP 2
Leader- Busa, Joel
Co-Leader- Cristobal, Frincechan
Members:
Carzon, Calvin Stuart Delacruz, Mark Joshua
Castro, Aaron James Elomina, Christian
Congzon, John Tyric
Dedios, Lawrence Jacob
Global Circulations

 The global circulation can be described as the world-wide system of winds by

which the necessary transport of heat from tropical to polar latitudes is
accomplished. In each hemisphere there are three cells (Hadley cell, Ferrel cell
and Polar cell) in which air circulates through the entire depth of the troposphere.
 Macroscale Circulation
To begin, imagine the earth as a non-rotating sphere with
uniform smooth surface characteristics.
Assume that the sun heats the equatorial regions much
more than the polar regions.
In response to this, two huge convection cells develop.
Simple, single cell atmospheric convection in a non-
rotating Earth.
 “Single cell” being either a single cell north or south
of the equator.
Macroscale Circulation
 Air flow for no rotation and no water on a
planet.
 Global Circulations explain how air and storm
systems travel over the Earth’s surface
 The global circulation would be simple and the
weather boring) if the Earth did not rotate, the
rotation was not tilted relative to the sun, and
had no water.
Macroscale Circulation

Idealized, three cell atmospheric convection in a rotating Earth. “Three cell” being either three
cells north or south of the equator. The deflections of the winds within each cell is caused by the
Coriolis Force.
Three main circulations exist between the equator and poles due to earth’s rotation.
 However, since the earth rotates, the axis is tilted, and there is more land mass in the
northern hemisphere than in the southern hemisphere, the actual global pattern is much
more complicated.
 Instead of one large circulation between the poles and the
equator, there are three circulation cells:

Hadley cell - Low latitude air movement toward the equator that with
heating, rises vertically, with poleward movement in the upper atmosphere.
This forms a convection cell that dominates tropical and sub-tropical
climates.
 Ferrel cell - A mid-latitude mean atmospheric circulation cell for
weather named by Ferrel in the 19th century. In this cell the air flows
poleward and eastward near the surface and equatorward and westward
at higher levels.
 Polar cell - Air rises, diverges, and travels toward the poles. Once over
the poles, the air sinks, forming the polar highs. At the surface air
diverges outward from the polar highs. Surface winds in the polar cell
are easterly (polar easterlies).
 Pressure Distribution

Observations in the Antarctic are scanty but indicate that an anticyclone normally occupies the
continental interior in both summer and winter, while an annular trough of low pressure lies off the
Antarctic coasts somewhere between latitudes 60's and 70° at all seasons.
The seasonal movement of the mean position of trough axis is small.
To the north of this circumpolar trough, the average pressure rises fairly steadily towards the belt of
high pressure which encircles the globe in about latitude 30°S in January
This high pressure belt shifts seasonally following the sun, and is some 3-5 degrees farther north in
July, than in January.
 • The considerable pressure gradient indicated between about latitudes 40° S and 60°S
corresponds with the strong westerly winds of the "roaring forties"
Horse latitude

 Around 30°N, we see a region of subsiding (sinking) air.

 Sinking air is typically dry and free of substantial precipitation
 Many of the major desert regions of the northern hemisphere are found near 30
latitude. E.g. Sahara, Middle East, SW United States.
Doldrums
 This is a narrow zone of low pressure near the equator where the wind is generally light and of
variable direction with frequent calms.
 Hot and humid days with overcast skies and heavy showers and thunderstorms are frequent.
 The location varies with the seasons from about 5°N latitude to 12°N in summer with the
southern limit between 1°N and 3°, respectively.
 This zone is where the NE and SE trade winds converge. It is also called the Intertropical
Convergence Zone (ITCZ).
 Located near the equator, the doldrums are where the trade winds meet and where the
pressure gradient decreases creating very little winds.
 That’s why sailors find it difficult to cross the equator and why weather systems in the one
hemisphere rarely cross into the other hemisphere.
 Monsoon

 The monsoons are caused in the same manner as land and sea breezes, but they blow over vast
areas of land and water and the period of time it takes before it blows in the opposite direction is
about six months.
 A Monsoon regime (system) is caused by the alternate heating of large bodies of land
and water in the northern and southern hemispheres during the summer and winter seasons.
The areas that experience true monsoon regimes are as follows:
o Indian Ocean and China Sea
o North Coast of Austral
o West Coast of Africa
o Northeast Coast of Brazil
The Indian Ocean and China Sea
During summer in the northern hemisphere the sun heats up the air over the Asian continent, while the air over
the South Indian Ocean is becoming cold as it is winter in the southern hemisphere.
The result is that a low pressure area forms over the Asian continent and a high pressure area forms over the
South Indian Ocean and Australia and this causes SE trade winds to blow up to the Equator then it is deflected to
the right on crossing it causing the SW monsoon (habagat) from late June to October over the Arabian Sea, Bay
of Bengal and the China sea.
The air forming the SW monsoon having travelled over thousands of miles over the ocean is saturated and
brings heavy rains in the area. The wind force average 5-7.
During winter in the northern hemisphere the above condition is reversed and brings about the NE monsoon in
the area.
Rainfall, however, is only of the showery type since the air does not contain to origin water vapor being of polar
origin.
 The NE monsoon is felt in early December until April, with winds averaging force
North Cost of Australia

During summer in the southern hemisphere, the deserts of Australia becomes very
hot so that low pressure area forms over them.
 The winds of the NE monsoon in the northern hemisphere blow down towards
this low pressure and as it crosses the Equator it is deflected to the left giving the
NW monsoon on the north coasts of Australia.
 The air of this monsoon has a high water vapour content, so that it brings rains
the area.
 The wind force is 6-7 and blows from December to April.
West Cost of Africa

 In summer in the northern hemisphere, there is a low pressure area over the North
Africa.
 Since there is a high pressure area in the Atlantic, the winds blow towards North
Africa, and as it crosses the Equator it is deflected to the right and becomes a SW
wind similar to the SW monsoon of India but the weather condition is not as bad.
 It lasts from June to October
Northeast Coast of Brazil

During summer in the southern hemisphere, there is a low pressure that forms over
the northeastern part of Brazil.
The SE trade winds from South Atlantic is deflected in order to circulate around this
low in a clockwise direction so that it arrives at the coast as n Ely to NE’ly winds.
This wind is heavily laden with water vapor after travelling over thousands of miles
of sea that it gives heavy rain fall on the coast.
 The wind force is about 3-4.
The concept of horizontal temperature differences to a
qualitative explanation of the formation of land and sea
breezes

Land and Sea breezes

During day light hours the land warms up much more rapidly than the adjoining sea, that the air over
the land is heated faster and the pressure is lowered then it rises so (convection)
Since the air over the sea is cooler (lower temperature) and denser (pressure higher) it flows in
toward the land to replace the warm air that has risen, causing the “sea breeze”.
 By night time the land cools off much faster than the sea, thus the air over the sea has a higher
temperature and lower pressure rises, and the cooler air with a higher pressure over the land flows
towards the sea, causing the “land breeze”.
Katabatic and Anabatic winds

At night when high places like the top of the cliffs and mountains with steep slopes cools, the air
over them is also cooled and the density increases (pressure becomes high) causing it to flow down
the steep slope.
When reaches sea level it blows horizontally with violence reaching a force of about 7 (28-33 kts)
and forming a katabatic wind.
This wind is most common off the coast of Greenland and also occurs in the Adriatic and areas
having a high land adjacent to a coast.
 In daytime when the air above a heated land becomes warm, it rises and takes easier path by
flowing upward along a warm mountain side, forming an anabatic wind which is not a strong
wind.
Katabatic and Anabatic winds
 Example of local winds

 1. Bora –a katabatic wind that blows down the

slopes of the mountains on the north and east
coasts of Adriatic sea. It is often dangerous as it
often blows without any warning and in violent
gusts.
 Examples of local winds

 2. Gregale – a strong NE wind in

the central and western
Mediterranean Sea in Malta and
Sicily
 Example of local winds

3. Harmattan – an east wind on the west

coast of Africa between Cape Verde and the
Gulf of Guinea in November to March. It
brings clouds of dust and sand from the
Sahara.
 Example of local winds

 4. Levanter – an east wind in the Strait of

Gibraltar it brings much moisture, clouds,
haze, and fog, sometimes rain.
 Example of local winds

 5. Mistral – a strong N or NW wind in the Gulf

of Lyons of gale force and produce rough seas.
 Example of local winds

 6. Northern – a north wind of gale force along

the coast of Chile, Gulf of Mexico, and western
Caribbean during winter.
 Example of local winds

 7. Pampero – a squall occurring at the passage of

a cold front in Rio de la Plata, it blows from the
north and backs suddenly to S or SW direction. It
is frequent in June to September
 Example of local winds

 8. Sirocco – a southerly wind in the Mediterranean coming from north Africa; it causes fog.
 Example of local winds

 9. Shamal – a NW wind in the Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman and

along the Makran coast.
 Example of local winds

 10. Southerly Buster – a south wind on the SE coast of Australia that occurs
mainly in summer.
 Example of local winds

 11. Sumatra – squally wind from the SW in May to October in the Strait of Malacca and west
coast of Malaya.
THE END

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