Hadley Cell Circulation

Equatorial convection drives subtropical subsidence, setting the trade winds and desert belts

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The Hadley cell extends to the latitude where angular momentum conservation and the Coriolis force balance (Held-Hou model, 1980). Cell width ∝ Ω⁻¹ — slow rotation → wide cells. The descending branch creates subtropical deserts (Sahara, Arabian, Australian) at ~30°. ITCZ migrates seasonally following maximum solar heating.