Prevailing winds generally blow from the
a. east
b. north
c. northwest
d. west
The correct answer and explanation is:
The correct answer is d. west.
Prevailing winds are the dominant winds that blow across a region due to Earth’s rotation and the differential heating of the planet’s surface. The most common pattern of prevailing winds on Earth is influenced by the Coriolis effect, which causes moving air to be deflected to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere.
In both hemispheres, winds are generally deflected and form wind belts. In the tropics, trade winds blow from the east towards the west, and this direction continues into the subtropical and temperate regions, forming the westerlies or prevailing westerly winds. These winds are named for their west-to-east direction and are most dominant between the latitudes of 30° and 60° in both hemispheres. The westerlies are responsible for the movement of weather systems in mid-latitude regions.
The Coriolis effect, resulting from the Earth’s rotation, causes air to curve. In the Northern Hemisphere, the deflection of air is to the right, making winds blow from the northwest to the southeast. In the Southern Hemisphere, the deflection is to the left, making winds blow from the southwest to the northeast. This results in the characteristic westerly direction of the prevailing winds in these regions.
At higher latitudes, the polar easterlies, which blow from east to west, are common, but they are weaker compared to the westerlies. Overall, the prevailing westerlies are most pronounced between the subtropical high-pressure zones and the subpolar low-pressure zones, which explains why they are considered the dominant wind pattern in many parts of the world.