Where do winds converge?

Asked by: Michelle Abraham

At the surface, low pressure systems have a counterclockwise rotation in the Northern Hemisphere, with the wind turning slightly inward towards the lowest pressure. This causes air to converge, or come together, at the center of the low near the ground.

What is convergence of the winds?

Convergence in a horizontal wind field indicates that more air is entering a given area than is leaving at that level. To compensate for the resulting “excess,” vertical motion may result: upward forcing if convergence is at low levels, or downward forcing (subsidence) if convergence is at high levels.

Where does the wind or air converge meet how?

The place where trade winds of the two hemispheres meet is called the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ). The area around the ITCZ is called the doldrums. Prevailing winds in the doldrums are very weak, and the weather is unusually calm. The ITCZ straddles the Equator.

Where does air converge and diverge?

The level of nondivergence (LND) is so called because it rests beneath the upper levels of the troposphere, where a great deal of convergence or divergence of air flow takes place. This convergence and divergence is what helps to enhance or suppress the pressure systems moving along the surface.

Where does convergence precipitation occur?

The Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) lies in the equatorial trough, a permanent low-pressure feature where surface trade winds, laden with heat and moisture, converge to form a zone of increased convection, cloudiness, and precipitation.

Does the wind converge or diverge in the upper atmosphere?

The convergence of horizontal winds causes air to rise, whereas the divergence of horizontal winds causes downward motion of the air (subsidence). Ground-level atmospheric pressure is not affected by convergence if divergence of an equal magnitude occurs simultaneously at higher levels.

Where is the convergence zone?

The location of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone is usually readily seen as a line of cumulus clouds in the tropics. This is the location where northeast winds in the Northern Hemisphere converge with the southeast winds from the Southern Hemisphere.

What is convergence line?

A convergence line is a band of cloud that remains fairly stationary and can produce large amounts of rain across a relatively small area. Showers are the type of weather that give us rain, sleet, snow or hail in an almost random fashion.

What happens at the zone of convergence?

A convergence zone in meteorology is a region in the atmosphere where two prevailing flows meet and interact, usually resulting in distinctive weather conditions. This causes a mass accumulation that eventually leads to a vertical movement and to the formation of clouds and precipitation.

Where do the northeast and southeast trade winds meet?

Detailed Solution. The southeast trade winds in the southern hemisphere and the northeast trade winds in the northern hemisphere meet each other near the equator. The meeting place of these winds is known as the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ).

Does cold air converge or diverge?

Cold air advection also results in convergence of air aloft. This upper level convergence will cause the air to sink and will give generally clear skies. If the winds travel from warm to cold air, we have warm air advection and a ridge will strengthen.

What causes convergence and divergence?

Air moving in toward a center of low pressure or a trough is forced to rise, exhibiting a motion called convergence. Similarly, air moving outward from a ridge or center of high pressure descends, exhibiting divergence.

What is convergence in the ocean?

in the ocean, zones where the surface waters of the ocean come together. They develop owing to unevenness in the wind field above the ocean and in the distribution of water density.

What happens in this zone when the winds come and converge explain?

The Intertropical Convergence Zone, or ITCZ, is the region that circles the Earth, near the equator, where the trade winds of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres come together. The intense sun and warm water of the equator heats the air in the ITCZ, raising its humidity and making it buoyant.

Why is the Antarctic Convergence so called?

The currents in these oceans tend to also run in a west to east direction at these southerly latitudes resulting in a mixing of the different ocean waters along the entire northern boundary of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. This is known as the Antarctic Convergence.