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Weather and Climate

The ITCZ and seasonal migration

  • 3 things to know
  • Component 3 Section B

Overview

Heat equator, seasonal migration of the ITCZ and sahel and how is its rainfall linked to the ITCZ.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Key term

What does ITCZ stand for and what is it?

Key term

Why does heavy rainfall occur along the ITCZ?

Key term

What is the heat equator?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    What does ITCZ stand for and what is it?

    Model answer

    ITCZ stands for the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone. The zone is the belt of low pressure where the trade winds of the two hemispheres converge.

  2. 2

    Why does heavy rainfall occur along the ITCZ?

    Model answer

    The converging trade winds force air to rise, and that air cools to its dew point. Towering cumulonimbus cloud forms and produces intense convectional rain.

  3. 3

    What is the heat equator?

    Model answer

    The heat equator is the line joining the places with the highest mean temperature at a given time. The line broadly follows the overhead sun rather than the geographic equator.

  4. 4

    Describe the seasonal migration of the ITCZ.

    Model answer

    The ITCZ moves north of the equator during the northern summer and south during the southern summer. The zone follows the overhead sun with a lag of a few weeks.

  5. 5

    Why does the ITCZ lag behind the overhead sun?

    Model answer

    Land and sea take time to warm after the sun reaches its highest position. The zone of maximum heating therefore arrives some weeks later.

  6. 6

    Over which surface does the ITCZ migrate furthest, and why?

    Model answer

    The ITCZ migrates furthest over continents, reaching about 25° over Asia and Africa. Land heats far faster than the ocean, which draws the zone further poleward.

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