Winds
& The Coriolis Effect - Part 2
Earth is so large that the warmer air moving up and away from the equator cools before it moves all the way to the poles. Cooler air is more dense so it begins to drop back towards Earth. At the same time, cool air from the poles has begun to warm and rises before it reaches the equator. Overall, bands of convection currents are formed that make three cycles between the poles and the equator. These convection currents are shown in the following animation.
Meteorologists call the pattern of convection currents that you see in the animation the “three-cell model”. In the final stage of the animation, you will see what happens to the three-cell model due to Earth’s rotation.