Question

Which of the following statement is true regarding Subtropical high pressure belt?

• A. The warm air that ascends at the equator cools down and sinks here.
• B. The air from ${60}^{0}N-{60}^{0}S$ of the equator also descends here to create a high pressure region.
• C. The temperature in this latitude is low, so the expansion and ascent of air is minimal.
• D. All of the above

Answer 1

The correct option is D All of the above

Subtropical high-pressure belt,

Subtropical high-pressure belt is a high-pressure area that exists along 30° N and 30° S.

The sun is the ultimate source of energy that drives the earth’s weather. Most of the energy reaches the equatorial regions and the least energy reaches the poles, causing the tropics to warm and the poles to cool.

The earth’s atmosphere redistributes this heat imbalance through a complex set of atmospheric circulation patterns. The warm air at the low latitudes rises and moves toward the poles. The rising air, and the subsequent clouds and precipitation, cause the tropics to be very wet. In other words – as we go away from the equator towards the poles, temperature drops.

The warm air at the equatorial region rises up to a height of 10 to 15 km above the surface and moves towards the poles. On its way, it comes down or sinks at the subtropical region. This pattern of atmospheric circulation from the equator to the subtropical region is called Hadley Cell. It is named after George Hadley who was a famous meteorologist and he proposed this mechanism.

As the air moves towards the subtropics i.e. 30° N and 30° S, the air descends over the oceans and creates a high-pressure zone. In the Northern Hemisphere, these high-pressure systems are located over the North Pacific and North Atlantic oceans.

The famous Bermuda Triangle is also located at the North Atlantic Ocean and that’s a high-pressure zone. So, if anyone asks you the secret of the Bermuda triangle, this is the possible logical reason.

The air that moves from the equator towards subtropical region, that air is warm. And then you also have to understand, that there is cold air that is flowing towards the low latitudes from the poles. You see atmospheric circulation redistributes the heat on earth and that means cold and warm air keeps moving from one place to another.