|
I'm no expert on the physics of weather but I think the reasoning runs something like this ...
The hotter air near the Equator tends to rise into the atmosphere. For latitudes above the Equator, the hot air moves northward as cooler air moves down from the north polar region. For latitudes below the Equator, the hot air moves southward as cooler air moves up from the south polar region. Jet streams occur where hot and cold air masses mingle. Here the Coriolis Effect comes into play. Any point on the Earth's surface has a velocity from east to west due to the Earth's rotation. However, points near the Equator are moving faster than points at higher and lower latitudes. As hot air moves towards the poles its momentum keeps it moving eastward but its speed increases eastward relative to the ground.
Regards, Rob.
|