The Monsoon Trough - and Air France
Tuesday, 2. June 2009, 16:22:47
The Air France accident is extremely tragic. Bad weather has (so far) been mentioned as a possible cause. Although this may seem unlikely as cause, I would nevertheless like to say a few words about the zone, where the plane vanished from radar screens.
The low-pressure zone near equator is known by several names and nicknames. Here are the most used - the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), the Intertropical Front, the Monsoon trough, and the Equatorial Convergence Zone. The zone has been called the doldrums by sailors due to the lack of horizontal air movement
The Intertropical Convergence Zone is the region that circles the Earth, near the equator (from about 5° north and 5° south), where the trade winds of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres come together. The intense sun and warm water of the equator heats the air in the ITCZ, raising its humidity and causing it to rise. As the air rises it cools, releasing the accumulated moisture in an almost perpetual series of thunderstorms.
The name “trade winds” derives from the Middle English 'trade', meaning "path" or "track," and thus the phrase "the wind blows trade," that is to say, on track.
The location of the ITCZ varies with the seasons throughout the year and while it remains near the equator, the ITCZ over land ventures farther north or south than the ITCZ over the oceans due to the variation in land temperatures. The location of the ITCZ can vary as much as 40° to 45° of latitude north or south of the equator based on the pattern of land and ocean.
Variation in the location of the ITCZ drastically affects rainfall in many equatorial nations, resulting in the wet and dry seasons of the tropics rather than the cold and warm seasons of higher latitudes.
The equatorial thunderstorms may occur so high up in the atmosphere that a plane cannot just fly over it - one of the ways often used to avoid them. The storm tops, where the Air France plane had to pass, were likely near or over 15,000 meters (15 km).
• http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Missing_jet_crossed_notorious_storm_patch_meteorologist_999.html
• http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hTV85VtGDPV8EuRfpizHsbX2VgtQD98IKDU00
In Danish:
• http://www.dr.dk/Nyheder/Udland/2009/06/02/145532.htm?rss=true
PS: Please note that thunderstorms and hurricanes are not synonyms! This has nothing to do with the coming hurricane season. Although you get thunderstorms, when a hurricane passes, most thunderstorms occur elsewhere. It is sad to see that some people (even on the internet) don’t know that.
Apart from that my sincere condolences to the families of all those on board, and sorry for writing about something else ...
The low-pressure zone near equator is known by several names and nicknames. Here are the most used - the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), the Intertropical Front, the Monsoon trough, and the Equatorial Convergence Zone. The zone has been called the doldrums by sailors due to the lack of horizontal air movement
The Intertropical Convergence Zone is the region that circles the Earth, near the equator (from about 5° north and 5° south), where the trade winds of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres come together. The intense sun and warm water of the equator heats the air in the ITCZ, raising its humidity and causing it to rise. As the air rises it cools, releasing the accumulated moisture in an almost perpetual series of thunderstorms.The name “trade winds” derives from the Middle English 'trade', meaning "path" or "track," and thus the phrase "the wind blows trade," that is to say, on track.
The location of the ITCZ varies with the seasons throughout the year and while it remains near the equator, the ITCZ over land ventures farther north or south than the ITCZ over the oceans due to the variation in land temperatures. The location of the ITCZ can vary as much as 40° to 45° of latitude north or south of the equator based on the pattern of land and ocean.
Variation in the location of the ITCZ drastically affects rainfall in many equatorial nations, resulting in the wet and dry seasons of the tropics rather than the cold and warm seasons of higher latitudes.
The equatorial thunderstorms may occur so high up in the atmosphere that a plane cannot just fly over it - one of the ways often used to avoid them. The storm tops, where the Air France plane had to pass, were likely near or over 15,000 meters (15 km).
• http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Missing_jet_crossed_notorious_storm_patch_meteorologist_999.html
• http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hTV85VtGDPV8EuRfpizHsbX2VgtQD98IKDU00
In Danish:
• http://www.dr.dk/Nyheder/Udland/2009/06/02/145532.htm?rss=true
PS: Please note that thunderstorms and hurricanes are not synonyms! This has nothing to do with the coming hurricane season. Although you get thunderstorms, when a hurricane passes, most thunderstorms occur elsewhere. It is sad to see that some people (even on the internet) don’t know that.
Apart from that my sincere condolences to the families of all those on board, and sorry for writing about something else ...
WIDGETIZE