Describe the formation of the trade wind inversion and the marine layer, and explain why and how these two change in height and characteristics from east to west

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answer: During much of the year air spirals out of massive high-pressure cells that occupy large parts of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Middle- and upper-level air along the eastern side of these anticyclones sinks as it approaches the west coasts of the adjacent continents. Because the air does not descend all the way to the surface, a subsidence inversion forms above the surface. This particular subsidence inversion is called the trade wind inversion. The air below the inversion, called the marine layer, is cool and relatively moist. Over the eastern part of the oceans, the low inversion inhibits vertical cloud growth, and low stratus clouds often occupy the region. Farther to the west, the greater height of the inversion (or even its total disappearance) allows for more convection, and deep cumulus clouds are more likely to form. For this reason, more hurricanes occur along the western portion of the ocean basins.