Question

Differentiate between the following:
Trade and anti-trade winds.

Answer 1

Hint: The anti-trade winds are also known as the Westerlies because of the blow of direction of the wind in both the northern and southern hemispheres. On the other hand, the trade winds occur due to the Coriolis effects and Ferrel’s law.

Complete Step by Step Answer: Differences between the trade wind and anti-trade winds are:

Trade Winds	Anti-Trade Winds
1.The trade winds blow from Sub-Tropical high-pressure regions, 30 degrees N and S to Equatorial low-pressure regions, 5 degrees N and S.	1. The anti-trade wind blows from sub-tropical high-pressure belts towards sub-polar low-pressure belts between 30 and 6 degrees latitudes.
2.The Trade winds blow steadily in the same direction and on the same track or course. Hence, their name is synonymous with the German word ‘trade’ meaning ‘track’.	2.The anti-trade winds blow from southwest to northeast in the northern hemisphere and from northwest to southwest in the southern hemisphere. Hence the name ‘Westerlies’.
3.The trade winds as they advance towards the equator, they go on heating and become hot. The winds from either side of the equator converge in the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). Such circulations are called cells and the cells in the tropics are called Hadley cells.	3. In the middle latitudes the circulation is of sinking cold air coming from poles and the rising warm air coming from subtropical high. On the surface, they are purely westerlies and are known as Ferrel Cell.
4.Trade winds in the pole-ward part are descending and stable. So they are dry here and do not cause rains. On the other hand, in the equator-ward part, the trade winds are unstable due to increase in temperature, thus absorbing moisture and causing rainfall.	4.Westerlies flow from warm regions towards cool regions, shedding rains on the western coasts of the continents throughout the year.

Note: Coriolis, a French physicist first discovered the force of deflection in 1844. It is thus called the Coriolis force. It explains that due to rotation of the earth on its axis the wind is deflected to its right in the northern hemisphere and to its left in the southern hemisphere. It is proportional to the angle of latitude. The force is maximum on the poles and is almost absent at the equator.