general circulation of the atmosphere

The world-scale systems of pressure and winds which persist throughout the year or recur seasonally. Such winds transport heat from tropical to polar latitudes, thus maintaining the present patterns of world temperatures.

This global circulation is driven by intense differences in insolation between the tropical and polar regions, and is strongly influenced by the Coriolis force. Air moves vertically along the meridians and horizontally with the wind systems, both at ground level and in the upper atmosphere.