The Intertropical Convergence Zone

TL;DR

This educational resource explains the Earth's tropical climate system and the Intertropical Convergence Zone through experiments and activities demonstrating atmospheric convection and global air circulation.

Contribution

It provides an interactive, experiment-based approach to teaching about the Intertropical Convergence Zone and Earth's climate phenomena for educational purposes.

Findings

Demonstrates how heated air rises and drives convection currents.

Shows the role of the Sun in global air circulation.

Illustrates the formation of the Intertropical Convergence Zone.

Abstract

This activity has been developed as a resource for the "EU Space Awareness" educational programme. As part of the suite "Our Fragile Planet" together with the "Climate Box" it addresses aspects of weather phenomena, the Earth's climate and climate change as well as Earth observation efforts like in the European "Copernicus" programme. This resource consists of three parts that illustrate the power of the Sun driving a global air circulation system that is also responsible for tropical and subtropical climate zones. Through experiments, students learn how heated air rises above cool air and how a continuous heat source produces air convection streams that can even drive a propeller. Students then apply what they have learnt to complete a worksheet that presents the big picture of the global air circulation system of the equator region by transferring the knowledge from the previous activities in to a larger scale.