Intertropical Convergence Zone

4:37 AM |

Intertropical Convergence Zone

The Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) is the region that circles the Earth, near the equator, where the trade winds of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres come together. Also known by sailors as doldrums. It was originally identified from the 1920s to the 1940s as the Intertropical Front (ITF), but after the recognition in the 1940s and 1950s of the significance of wind field convergence in tropical weather production, the term "ITCZ" was then applied. When it lies near the equator, it is called the near-equilatorial through. The ITCZ appears as a band of clouds, usually thunderstorms, that circle the globe near the equator. In the Northern Hemisphere, the trade winds move in a southwestern direction from the northeast, while in the Southern Hemisphere, they move northwestward from the southeast.

South Pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ)

The South Pacific Convergenze Zone (SPCZ) is a reverse-oriented, or west-northwest to east-southeast aligned, trough extending from the west Pacific warm pool southeastwards towards French Polynesia. It lies just south of the Equator during theSouthern Hemisphere warm season, but can be more extratropical in nature, especially east of the International Date Line. It is considered the largest and most important piece of the ITCZ, and has the least dependence upon heating from a nearby land mass during the summer than any other portion of the monsoon trough.

Effects on weather

It may affect the amount of rainfall in many equatorial nations resulting on the wet and dry seasons of the tropics. Longer term changes in the ITCZ may cause severe droughts or flooding in nearby area. In some cases, the ITCZ may become narrow, then, it can be interpreted as a front along the leading edge of the equatorial air. Within the ITCZ, the average are slight. Early sailors named this belt of calm "the doldrums" because of the inactivity and stagnation they found themselves in after days of no wind.

This image is a combination of cloud data from NOAA’s newest Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-11) and color land cover classification data. The ITCZ is the band of bright white clouds that cuts across the center of the image.

Insights and Reflections

Today, I learned that Intertropical Convergence Zone is also called doldrums. It is the area encircling the earth near the equator where winds originating in the northern and southern hemisphere come together. It is called "Intertropical Front" in 1920-1940. ITCZ appears as a band of clouds, usually thunderstorms that circle the globe near the equator. And it's location varies over time.
This information will help me to become more aware of the weather and be ready for it.
I would like to know more about ITCZ because I know that these are not all the things we need to know. And it can help us in everyday life.
As a science class student, the knowledge I gained about this will help me to be a more science-oriented pupil. And I can share it to people who don't know much about the ITCZ and its effects on us.