What does air do at the equator?

What does air do at the equator?

Air rises at the equator, leading to low pressure and rainfall. When the air reaches the edge of the atmosphere, it cannot go any further and so it travels to the north and south. The air becomes colder and denser, and falls, creating high pressure and dry conditions at around 30° north and south of the equator.

Does cold air rise at the equator?

7.26 On a non-rotating planet, heated air from the equator would rise and move toward the poles, cool, and sink. The cold air from the poles would then flow toward the equator completing the circulation. Since the Earth does rotate, it has a more complicated circulation caused by that rotation.

When warm air rises at the equator what happens to the water that rises with it?

The water content of air roughly doubles with every 10o C increase in temperature. So the air rising at the equator is warm and full of water vapor; as it rises into the upper atmosphere it cools, and the cool air can no longer hold as much water vapor, so the water condenses and forms rain.

Why does air rise in Equator?

This pattern, called atmospheric circulation, is caused because the Sun heats the Earth more at the equator than at the poles. In the tropics, near the equator, warm air rises. When it gets about 10-15 km (6-9 miles) above the Earth surface it starts to flow away from the equator and towards the poles.

Why does cold air go to the equator?

Ocean currents warmed by the Sun’s energy carry heat from the equator toward the poles as well. Evaporation of surface water, rain and other precipitation, wind and ocean currents move warm air toward the poles and bring cold air toward the equator.

What happens to air when it is heated at the equator quizlet?

Wind causes air to move because of the differences in air pressure. The uneven heating of the Earth causes differences in air pressure. At the equator, warm air, which is less dense, rises, causing a low pressure. This is because the equator receives more direct solar energy than any other latitudes.

What happens to the air pressure at the equator as the warm air rises?

The air pressure decreases as the hot equatorial air rises through the atmosphere because there is less and less weight of air overhead. The rising air expands due to the decreasing pressure. The air cools as it expands.