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RAS question

The Hadley Cell circulation is between:

Correct answer: (D) Equator and 30° latitude.

Hadley Cell circulation extends from the equator to about 30 degrees latitude in each hemisphere.

  1. (A)

    60° and 90° latitude

  2. (B)

    30° and 60° latitude

  3. (C)

    Equator and poles

  4. (D)

    Equator and 30° latitude

Explanation

The Hadley Cell is the tropical limb of the three-cell model of global atmospheric circulation. In NOAA's glossary, it is described as a north-south circulation with upward air motion at the ITCZ, poleward motion towards 30N and 30S, sinking motion at 30 degrees, and an equatorward return flow to the ITCZ. That matches the exam explanation: warm air rises near the equator, moves poleward aloft, descends around 30 degrees, and helps create subtropical high pressure. The other two latitude belts belong to different circulation cells: the Ferrel Cell occupies 30 degrees to 60 degrees, and the Polar Cell occupies 60 degrees to 90 degrees. So the Hadley Cell is specifically between the equator and 30 degrees latitude, not across the full equator-to-pole span.

Why the other options are wrong

  • (A) 60 degrees to 90 degrees latitude is the Polar Cell belt, whereas the Hadley Cell descends around 30 degrees and returns equatorward.
  • (B) 30 degrees to 60 degrees latitude is the Ferrel Cell belt, lying poleward of the Hadley Cell's subtropical descending branch.
  • (C) Equator to poles describes the whole three-cell circulation framework, not the single Hadley Cell within it.

Concept

This tests the global atmospheric circulation model: Hadley, Ferrel and Polar cells as latitude-wise belts. It recurs in RAS because the same model explains pressure belts, trade winds and broad climatic zones.

Source

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