Atmosphere Circulation 1
This is the primary goal of general atmospheric circulation, which redistributes heat from the equator to the poles.
What is maintaining global temperatures?
Because Earth rotates faster at the equator and slower at the poles, moving air appears to do this instead of moving straight.
What is curve (or bend)?
This lifting mechanism occurs when air hits mountains and is forced upward, cooling to form clouds on the windward side.
What is orographic lifting?
This is the dominant air mass for Medina, characterized as extremely hot and dry.
What is Continental Tropical (cT)?
Because Medina is in an arid desert, the land heats up quickly, causing this to happen to the air above it.
What is rise? (or warm air rising)
In the Hadley Cell, air sinks at this specific latitude, leading to dry, high-pressure zones.
What is 30 degrees?
This is the direction of wind deflection in the Southern Hemisphere.
What is to the left?
In Medina, this mechanism occurs when surface heating creates bubbles of hot air that rise rapidly, sometimes forming dust whirlwinds.
What is convective heating?
When a cold front passes through Medina in winter, it may result in these instead of rain due to a lack of moisture.
What are Dust Storms?
High temperatures in Medina create these areas, which then pull in air from surrounding regions to create wind.
What are Low Pressure areas?
This specific feature near the equator is characterized by rising air and heavy rainfall.
What is the ITCZ (Intertropical Convergence Zone)
These narrow bands of strong wind form where warm and cold air masses meet in the upper troposphere.
What are jet streams?
This term refers to the dry area created on the leeward side of a mountain after air has lost its moisture.
What is a Rain Shadow (Desert)?
This specific front forms when a cold front overtakes a warm front, lifting the warm air completely off the ground.
What is an Occluded Front?
Local factors like traffic, construction, and the large crowds during this pilgrimage can slightly influence the city's air circulation.
What is Hajj
Medina, Saudi Arabia, is located at 24° N latitude, placing it directly inside this specific circulation cell.
What is the Hadley Cell?
In Medina, the Coriolis Effect turns equatorial-bound air into these specific winds.
What are the Northeast Trade Winds?
This mechanism happens when air flowing from different directions meets and "piles up," forcing the air upward.
What is Convergence?
These two letters represent the moist, tropical air from the Red Sea that can increase Medina's humidity.
What is mT (Maritime Tropical)?
Strong regional wind patterns in Medina often lift sand into the air, creating these hazardous conditions.
What are dust storms?
This happens to storms in the Northern Hemisphere due to the Coriolis Effect's deflection.
What is rotating counterclockwise?
During the winter, this specific jet stream moves south over the Arabian Peninsula, bringing cooler air to Medina.
What is the Subtropical Jet Stream?
In the atmosphere, air usually only rises when it is warmer than surrounding air or forced upward because of this force.
What is Gravity?
This type of front is rare in Medina and occurs when moist air slowly overrides cooler desert air, creating high-level clouds.
What is a Warm Front?
These are the two dominant wind directions that influence Medina directly, even though they are part of a larger global system.
What are Westerly and Northwesterly?