What Are the Doldrums?
“the doldrums a.k.a Intertropical Convergence Zone (ICZ) Early sailors named this belt of calm the doldrums because of the low spirits they found themselves in after days of no wind. To find oneself becalmed in this region could mean death in the era when wind was the only motive force available, and it was certainly a depressing experience to be isolated, in the middle of the ocean, in a hot, muggy climate. I am in the doldrums because I lost the race. by Arjuna Farmington Hills Oct 16, 2005” http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.
Dictionaries define the doldrums as stagnation or a time when things slump, or general listlessness, and this term was in use as European sailors began to fully explore the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. What they found, among many things, was a peculiar weather phenomenon that occurs up to five degrees north and south of the equator. This phenomenon was either extreme calm with little wind, or massive storms, and both could leave ships at sea for weeks. This area was nicknamed the doldrums in the 1700s, though it has more scientifically correct names too, such as the Intertropical Convergence Zone or the Equatorial Convergence Zone. There are several factors that create the doldrums or this area of calm. Trade winds from North and South converge or meet in this area near the equator and the air becomes greatly warmed by the sun. This causes the air to move upward in almost a vertical direction, instead of remaining near the earth’s or ocean’s surface. With the air’s upward movem
The doldrums is an area of calm weather. The trade winds coming from the south and the north meet near the equator. These converging trade winds produce general upward winds as they are heated, so there are no steady surface winds. What are the prevailing westerlies? Between thirty and sixty degrees latitude, the winds that move toward the poles appear to curve to the east. Because winds are named from the direction in which they originate, these winds are called prevailing westerlies. Prevailing westerlies in the Northern Hemisphere are responsible for many of the weather movements across the United States and Canada. What are the polar easterlies? At about sixty degrees latitude in both hemispheres, the prevailing westerlies join with the polar easterlies to reduce upward motion. The polar easterlies form when the atmosphere over the poles cools. This cool air then sinks and spreads over the surface. As the air flows away from the poles, it is turned to the west by the Coriolis effec
