Using atmospheric data here we will study both the Hadley Cell in the tropics and the turbulent Eddy Circulation in the middle latitudes.
Read the following notes:
Heat and Moisture Transport Atmosphere
Potential temperature
Hadley Cell – tropics
Relevant climatological fields can be plotted using the EsGlobe interface (use Climatologies/Atmosphere tab).
Plot zonally averaged fields of temperature, potential temperature, meridional wind , vertical wind and zonal wind and discuss evidence of the Hadley Circulation.
The relationship between horizontal temperature gradient and vertical wind shear is described here: Thermal wind.
To estimate the meridional energy transport by the Hadley Cell use the following schematics: heat transport and moisture transport.
A visualization of the Hadley Cell shifting between seasons can be found here: a-breathing-earth.
A summary of the Hadley Cell project can be found in Hadley Cell Virtual Lab (and accompanying paper: Virtually Enhanced Fluid Laboratories for Teaching Meteorology) .
Eddy Circulation – middle latitudes
Discussion of the eddy heat transport can be found in
Weather in a tank- atmosphere Eddies
Instructions for plotting transient heat fluxes
Satellite images – showing the mid-latitude weather systems:
Polar view (PSU)
Antartica view (SSEC)