Planetary Weather Basics
- Temperature differences drive pressure differences
- Uneven land and sea distributions
- Different land and sea heat capacities
- Earth's rotation - solar heating and radiational cooling
- Pressure differences drive winds
- Winds blow from high pressure towards low
- Surface High Pressure - sinking air (clear)
- Surface Low Pressure - rising air (cloudy)
- Semi-permanent regions of surface high/low pressure
- Low pressure - equator (ITCZ) and ±60o
- High pressure - ±30o and the poles