Walker cell

Quotes

If you follow the airflow around the subtropical high-pressure area in the South Pacific Ocean, you can see that the airflow around the eastern part of the ocean is from the higher, colder latitudes. Surface ocean water follows a similar path. As both the air and water begin to move westward near the equator, they gradually warm. When they reach the Western Pacific, the warm air tends to rise. As it rises and cools, it moves eastward, where it descends over the eastern Pacific, warming and drying until it reaches an altitude of about 1000 m. It stops there because the air below is much colder and denser. The rising air over the western Pacific creates a very wet climate, while over much of the eastern Pacific the climate is dry. This type of air circulation is called a Walker cell, commemorating Sir Gilbert Walker, who first hypothesized its existence. [1]