Familiarize yourself with global circulation on satellite imagery by working through the following activities:
1. A single image where cloud patterns outline global circulation features
Click on the image to the right and scroll over cloud features to see the names of some of the main features of Earth's global circulation.
2. An Animation of several images that you can control
When you click on the image to the right you'll notice that you can start, stop, and control the speed of the imagery. Use this tool to set the speed so you can identify the ITCZ, subtropical jet, polar jet, and mid-latitude westerlies.
NOTE - There are 93 images in this animation so depending on your Internet connection it may take a few minutes to download.
3.
The Jet Stream and Horizontal Temperature Gradients
Click on the image to the right to work through an activity that demonstrates the relationship between wind speed and temperature gradients.