The earth’s atmosphere plays an essential role in the balance of heat, climate and energy (Charles H. Langmuir, 2012). By understanding the global atmospheric circulation patterns, along with historical processes, we can see how the development of these processes has altered our understanding of the weather dynamics of the mid-latitudes. This essay will discuss the development of our understanding. It will commence with the unicellular model, its relationship to the three circulation cell of Hadley, Ferrel and the polar cell. It will then move on to explain the relationship of high and low pressure the divergence and convergence process. Finally, it will link the lapse rate, with the Coriolis forces, the development of the Rossby waves and jet streams. By understanding these dynamics we can understand the weather systems and the impact on our environment. Over time there has been a number of models presented to help us unravel the complicated nature and balance of atmospheric circulation processes. These include early meteorology models by Halley (1686), Hadley (1735) Ferrel (1856) and Rossby (1941). While technology today allows us view things differently by using satellite imaging and computer
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