Question
Briefly explain the formation of trade wind.
✓
Answer
Trade winds are steady surface winds on the earth due to the natural convection phenomenon. The equatorial and polar regions of the earth receive unequal solar heat. The equatorial region receives more heat than the polar region. So air at the earth's surface near the equator is hotter than the air in the upper atmosphere of the poles, due to which a convection current would be set up, with the hot air at the equatorial surface rising and moving out towards the poles and in turn, colder air at poles descending and streaming in towards the equator. Because of earth's rotation about its own axis, the air close to the equator region has an eastward speed of $1600 km h ^{-1}$, while it is zero close to the polar region. As a result, the hot air from the equator descends not at the poles but at $30^{\circ} N$ latitude and returns to the equator. So in this way trade winds are formed.
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