Global Atmospheric Circulation

The Global atmospheric circulation drives all the other circulation on the earth, and runs along with more small scale circulations to produce the daily weather, and the longer term climate averages.

The circulation of the atmosphere is responsible for about 50% of the transport of energy from the tropics to the poles. The basic mechanism is very simple: hot air rises in the tropics, reducing the pressure at the surface and increasing it higher up. This forces the air to spread away polewards at high levels, and to be drawn in at low levels. As the warm, polewards moving air comes into regions with less incoming solar radiation, it cools and sinks, thus completing the circulation.

There are some useful resources:
- a Met Office resource with a useful graphic
- a BBC Bitesize resource

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