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At its root a large rotating cylinder about 0.6-0.7 meters in diameter and 0.25 meter tall acted as a representation of only one hemisphere. Towards the center of the tank, which one can envision "flattening" as a net against the hemispherical form of either the top of or bottom half of the globe, a small bucket of ice was placed. The ice was contained in a metal cup with a low specific heat capacity , which then transferred the cooling effect through conduction to allowing it to efficiently cool the water closest to the center via conduction. As such, a horizontal temperature gradient was instigated formed within the tank, thus allowing the periphery of the tank to become the relative warm "spot," with the fluid rising accordingly, while sinking towards the center of the tank. Between, as As the warm fluid rose along the edges, it moved radially inwards , where it sank and expanded outwards towards the edges.
One distinction between the tank experiment and the earth is that while the Coriolis parameter changes at each location of the earth (due to a constantly changing angle phi, or the angle equivalent to the earth's latitude), whereas it remains constant in the tank because the Coriolis parameter remains unchanged. Therefore, in order to simulate the change in heat transport regime from a being Hadley cell - dominated means of heat transport to one tyrannized by rotating eddies, the rotation rate of the tank must had to be manually changed. At some threshold of rotation rate, the fluid will transition from being laminar in solid-body rotation to turbulent, resulting in changes in the means of heat transport.
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We can understand the general circulation of the atmosphere by formulating a general theory of the Hadley Cell and its development and progression. Due to the uneven heating of the earth, the equator receives significantly more solar radiation and thermal energy than do higher latitudes. As a result, rising motion and convection occur in this the region known as the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ). As a result of this rising motion, at the surface air moves equator-ward to replace the air displaced by convection, and air moves poleward aloft before sinking again at about 30o latitude. Thus the formation of the atmospheric "Hadley Cell". Conservation of angular momentum with this northward and southward motion dictates the formation of westerly and easterly winds, and above 30o latitude, a different regime sets in, in which northward flow combined with the coriolis Coriolis effect and the thermal gradient with the cold polar regions leads to a more inconsistent regime in which eddies play a major role. The main features of the Global Circulation can be seen below in Figure 2.1.
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In the mid latitudes where the Coriolis force is large (unlike in the equatorial regions), the high rotation rate turns what would otherwise be smooth laminar flow, into turbulent flow and the pattern of mid-latitude cyclones, also known as 'transient's or 'eddies', that play an important role in transporting heat from the equator to the pole.
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Eddy Heat Transport in the Atmosphere
The above graphs shows a vertically averaged plot of transient heat flux on Earth. Yellow/blue corresponds to north/southward flow. Overall, there is a pattern of poleward transient heat blux, and everywhere else, it's zero.
If we average over longitude, we can get a purely latitude dependent graph, which shows how the mid-latitudes are the only regions of transient heat flux.