Open AccessUneven warming shifts equatorial rain band, midlatitude westerlies
Author(s) -
Schultz Colin
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
eos, transactions american geophysical union
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.316
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 2324-9250
pISSN - 0096-3941
DOI - 10.1002/2013eo280009
Subject(s) - intertropical convergence zone , westerlies , equator , southern hemisphere , climatology , convergence zone , geology , northern hemisphere , precipitation , middle latitudes , hadley cell , atmospheric sciences , latitude , geography , oceanography , meteorology , climate change , general circulation model , geodesy
In a band near the equator, southward Northern Hemisphere winds and northward Southern Hemisphere winds come together to form the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). In this zone the equatorward winds rise and cool, creating a region of high precipitation and weak surface winds. The ITCZ's location and the precipitation it delivers to the rainforests are not static—seasonal differences in temperature between the hemispheres drive ITCZ north and south, with the convergence zone moving toward the warmer hemisphere.