Monsoon trough

[Ed Mahmoud]

Wiki says it is basically just another name for the ITCZ. Is that correct, and if not, as the term 'monsoon trough' has been referenced in Alma and Arthur posts, someone please elaborate.

[Aslkahuna]

The monsoon trough and the ITCZ are two different animals. The ITCZ is the convergence zone between the opposing Trade Winds of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres and thus have easterly flow on both sides. The monsoon trough is a trough of low pressure which has Trade flow on the poleward side and cross-equatorial westerly monsoon flow on the equatorward side and a buffer ridge astride the equator-with the monsoon trough the Trade Winds are separated by both this monsoonal flow and the ridge. The monsoon trough results from differential heating between the continents and oceans whereas the ITCZ is driven by the Planetary Circulation set in motion by the heating in low latitudes and the rotation of the Earth.

Steve

[Ed Mahmoud]

The monsoon trough and the ITCZ are two different animals. The ITCZ is the convergence zone between the opposing Trade Winds of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres and thus have easterly flow on both sides. The monsoon trough is a trough of low pressure which has Trade flow on the poleward side and cross-equatorial westerly monsoon flow on the equatorward side and a buffer ridge astride the equator-with the monsoon trough the Trade Winds are separated by both this monsoonal flow and the ridge. The monsoon trough results from differential heating between the continents and oceans whereas the ITCZ is driven by the Planetary Circulation set in motion by the heating in low latitudes and the rotation of the Earth.

Steve

Gracias. I somehow didn't think Wiki was exactly right.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monsoon_trough


The Wiki definition:

The monsoon trough, also known as the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), is depicted by a line on a weather map showing the locations of minimum sea level pressure within the monsoon region,[1] and is a convergence zone between the wind patterns of the southern and northern hemispheres. As such, westerly monsoon winds lie in its equatorward portion while easterly trade winds exist poleward of the trough.[2] Right along its axis, heavy rains can be found which usher in the peak of a location's respective rainy season. As it passes poleward of a location, hot and dry conditions develop.