Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone Essay ⋆ Environment Essay Examples ⋆ EssayEmpire

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The intertropical convergence zone is a trough of low pressure in the tropics that circles the globe in an east-west direction. Its location shifts roughly between 23.5 degrees north and south latitude and tends to follow the subsolar point over the course of the year. The low pressure results from the intense heating of the vertical rays of the sun, which causes the warm air to ascend and causes the northeast and southeast trade winds to converge on the zone of lifting. The warm air is extremely humid, and as it rises along the convergence zone, the air cools and the moisture condenses, forming precipitation. The ITCZ represents the primary engine of the global circulation of the atmosphere, since it is the only global pressure system arising from direct solar heating. Additionally, the ITCZ represents the cyclonic portion of the Hadley Cell circulation system.

The latitudinal displacement of the ITCZ over the course of the year varies according to the variable character of the Earth’s surface. Land tends to increase in temperature more rapidly than oceans, so for any given latitude, temperatures tend to be greater over land than the oceans. As a result, the ITCZ tends to shift further toward higher latitudes over land than over oceans. Additionally, warm ocean currents tend to flow poleward along the east coasts of continents and cold ocean currents flow equatorward along west coasts of continents, such that, for any given latitude, temperatures off the east coasts of continents tend to be warmer than the west. The ITCZ thus tends to deflect further toward the higher latitudes along the east coasts.

The shift of ITCZ over the course of the year brings seasonal precipitation. Equatorial regions receive rainfall year-round (152-254 centimeters annually) under the influence of the ITCZ, and is a defining characteristic of the tropics. At the latitudinal extreme of the tropics, the seasonal retreat of the ITCZ corresponds to the advancing influence of the subtropical high pressure system with its characteristic dry, subsiding air. The climates in these regions are characterized by a marked dry season of varying length. The Tropical Monsoon climates of South and East Asia are characterized by heavy rains brought by the ITCZ during the summer months (254-508 centimeters annually) and a short, marked dry season of up to three months. Tropical Savanna climates have a less pronounced wet season (90-180 centimeters) and a dry season of up to six months.

The inundating rains of the ITCZ are important to the developing countries of the tropics, many of which rely on agriculture as a mainstay of the subsistence and market economies. In South and Southeast Asia, the rains from the ITCZ support wet-rice production in irrigated paddies. Additionally, severe seasonal flooding often accompanies the rains. During the summer of 2005, monsoon rains in India killed over 100 people, disrupted transportation networks, and left over 150,000 people stranded. The rains of the ITCZ are important to the livelihoods of the societies that receive them, but the rains constitute a hazard as well.

Bibliography:

Robert W. Cristopherson, Geosystems (Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006);
J. de Blij and Peter O. Muller, Geography: Realms, Regions and Concepts (John Wiley & Sons, 2000);
Tom McKnight and Darrel Hess, Physical Geography (Pearson Prentice Hall, 2005).