Introduction
Download 272.82 Kb.
|
- Navigate this page:
- Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone
- Tale of Two Cities: Kano and Lagos
Introduction The weather in the tropics is basically hot and humid. This is primarily due to the earth receiving more solar radiation than it re-radiates back to space. This excessive heating generates weather that can impact any other location on the globe. This energy imbalance drives the circulation of the atmosphere.
Nevertheless, the tropics still receive a considerable amount of sunshine, and when combined with the excessive rainfall, provide ideal growing conditions. Because a substantial part of the Sun's heat energy is used up in evaporation and rain formation, temperatures in the tropics rarely exceed 95°F (35°C). At night the abundant cloud cover restricts heat loss, and minimum temperatures fall no lower than about 72°F (22°C). This high level of temperature is maintained with little variation throughout the year. Therefore, the seasons are not distinguished by warm and cold periods but by variation of rainfall and cloudiness. Inter-Tropical Convergence ZoneThe Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) appears as a band of clouds consisting of showers, with occasional thunderstorms, that encircles the globe near the equator. The solid band of clouds may extend for many hundreds of miles and is sometimes broken into smaller line segments. The ITCZ follows the sun in that the position varies seasonally. It moves north in the northern summer and south in the northern winter. The ITCZ (pronounced "itch") is what is responsible for the wet and dry seasons in the tropics. 
It exists because of the convergence of the trade winds. In the northern hemisphere the trade winds move in a southwesterly direction, while in the southern hemisphere they move northwesterly. The point at which the trade winds converge forces the air up into the atmosphere, forming the ITCZ. The tendency for convective storms in the tropics is to be short in their duration, usually on a small scale but can produce intense rainfall. It is estimated that 40 percent of all tropical rainfall rates exceed one inch per hour. Greatest rainfall typically occurs when the midday Sun is overhead. On the equator this occurs twice a year in March and September, and consequently there are two wet and two dry seasons. Further away from the equator, the two rainy seasons merge into one, and the climate becomes more monsoonal, with one wet season and one dry season. In the Northern Hemisphere, the wet season occurs from May to July, in the Southern Hemisphere from November to February. Tale of Two Cities: Kano and LagosBecause of its location just north of the equator, Nigeria's climate is characterized by the hot and wet conditions associated with the movement of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) north and south of the equator. This is easily seen in the normal monthly rainfall for two cities, Kano and Lagos, separated by 500 miles (800km). 
When the ITCZ is to the south of the equator, the north-east winds prevail over Nigeria, producing the dry-season conditions. When the ITCZ moves into the Northern Hemisphere, the south westerly wind prevails as far inland to bring rain fall during the wet season. The implication is that there is a prolonged rainy season in the far south of Nigeria, while the far north undergoes long dry periods annually. Nigeria, therefore, has two major seasons, the dry season and the wet season, the lengths of which vary from north to south. In southern Nigeria, Lagos averages 68.5" (1740 mm) of rain annually. The four observed seasons are:
 In northern Nigeria, Kano averages 32.5" (825 mm) of rain annually. There are only two season since the ITCZ only moves into the region once a year before returning south. The two observed seasons are:
Directory: SiSFiles -> Schools Schools -> Ap u. S. History presidents list the Young Republic, 1788-1815 Schools -> Cutting Greenhouse Gases Global warming Schools -> Birth of a Monster on the left hand side of the page. Read all the interesting information as you make your way down to the chart which outlines the steps in hurricane formation. Hurricane Formation Schools -> History of the American Automobile Schools -> Exploring Hurricanes Schools -> Famous Alabamians: Athletes Schools -> Hubble Space Telescope Schools -> Atlanta Falcons Internet Scavenger Hunt Download 272.82 Kb. Share with your friends:
|
There is abundant rainfall due to the rising air created by the sun's heating,