Trade Winds Is the Name

Trade winds is the name given to winds that blow north and south of the equator. They are called the trade winds because it is those reliable winds, which blow year-round, which enabled worldwide shipping to commence. "Blowing from the subtropical highs or horse latitudes toward the low pressure of the ITCZ are the trade winds. Named from their ability to quickly propel trading ships across the ocean, the trade winds between about 30° latitude and the equator are steady and blow about 11 to 13 miles per hour.

In the Northern Hemisphere, the trade winds blow from the northeast and are known as the Northeast Trade Winds; in the Southern Hemisphere, the winds blow from the southeast and are called the Southeast Trade Winds." (Rosenberg). While the trade winds blow all year long, they are the strongest from April to October. Their Beaufort Scale rating averages at 4, though they vary and can get as high as a 7 during the winter.

As might be expected, the trade winds interact with ocean water transfers, so that El Nino and La Nina either impact the trade winds or are impacted by the trade winds. At normal times, Walker circulation is noticed; where easterly trade winds move warm water and air towards the west. The result is a coastal upwelling, which brings up nutrient rich cold water, increasing fishes. This same effect causes the typhoons and thunderstorms characteristic to the western Pacific.

La Nina features unusually cold ocean temperatures in the eastern Pacific, and increases Atlantic tropical cyclone activity. El Nino features unusually warm ocean temperatures in the eastern Pacific. The trade winds are powered by "warm, rising air in the west Pacific Ocean and sinking cool air in the eastern Pacific." (Than). The winds have a major impact on the Earth's climate.

"It steers ocean currents and nourishes marine life across the equatorial Pacific and off the coast of South America by driving the upwelling of nutrient-rich cold water from ocean depths to the surface." The trade winds are also responsible for transporting water vapor, causing rain in Indonesia. The net effect of the trade winds is positive. However, the trade winds can have some very negative impacts, as well. In the summer, trade winds can turn into the hurricanes or typhoons, which can take a devastating toll on property and life.

In fact, the trade winds are responsible for causing typhoons, which are both beneficial and detrimental; they bring much-needed rain, but are also responsible for destruction. It is predicted that global warming will have a negative impact on the trade winds: To remain energetically balanced, the rate at which the atmosphere absorbs water vapor must be balanced by the rate of rainfall. But as temperatures rise and more water evaporates from the ocean, water vapor in the lower atmosphere increases rapidly.

Because of various physical processes, however, the rate of rainfall does not increase as fast. Since the atmosphere is absorbing moisture faster than it can dump it, and because wind is the major transporter of moisture into the atmosphere, air circulation must slow down if the energy balance is to be maintained. A drop in winds could reduce.