Why do deserts exist at 30 latitude?
Why do deserts exist at 30 latitude?
With warm air rising above the equator and the cooled air falling to the north and south, two circular patterns of air movement are created around the equator. At 30 to 50 degrees north and south of the equator, this falling air makes dry air drier. It also turns the land below it into a desert.
Why are deserts found 30 degrees from the equator?
Air at the equator rises and cools – condensation then forms rain. The air then moves north and south until it gets to about 30° north and south of the equator, where it sinks. This air is dry and no condensation can form, so there is no rain.
Why do many deserts exist at 30 N and S latitude quizlet?
Why are most deserts found at 30 degrees latitude? This is where warm dry air falls from cells originating at the equator. These areas are not close to any ocean, so water levels in the air are extremely low. This is where sunlight strikes the earth at the most direct angle, so all water evaporates.
Why do major desert regions exist along the tropical latitudes?
Subtropical deserts are caused by the circulation patterns of air masses. They are found along the Tropic of Cancer, between 15 and 30 degrees north of the Equator, or along the Tropic of Capricorn, between 15 and 30 degrees south of the Equator. As it approaches the tropics, the air descends and warms up again.
Could a desert form at 45 N latitude?
Explanation: Some deserts are formed due to the movement of hot air masses and the lack of moisture from the tropics, influenced by the Earth’s rotation. These deserts are between 30 ° to 50 ° (north / south).
Why is 30 latitude dry?
Most of the world’s deserts are located near 30 degrees north latitude and 30 degrees south latitude, where the heated equatorial air begins to descend. The descending air is dense and begins to warm again, evaporating large amounts of water from the land surface. The resulting climate is very dry.
What happens to the air at the surface at 30 N and 30 S?
Some of the air sinks toward the surface. Subsidence inhibits cloud formation and this is the reason many large deserts are found near 30N and 30S. This surface air forms the trade winds, that blow steadily from the northeast in the northern hemisphere and southeast in the southern hemisphere.
At what latitudes are most major deserts of the world located?
Most of the world’s deserts are located near 30 degrees north latitude and 30 degrees south latitude, where the heated equatorial air begins to descend.
Why is it hotter nearer the equator than at 30 N and 30 S?
The air that rises at the solar equator descends near 30 degrees N or S. Condensation has already removed much of its water as precipitation in the tropics, and its capaciaty to evaporate and hold water increases further as it sinks and warms.