Geography · KS3 Y8 · Weather & Climate

Global atmospheric circulation

Global atmospheric circulationFree2:24Heddy Score 3 of 7, below the standard
Next clip

What you need to know

  • Strong heating at the equator makes air rise, creating low pressure and heavy rainfall there.
  • The air moves towards the poles and sinks at about 30° north and south, giving high pressure, clear skies and deserts; these loops are Hadley cells.
  • The Coriolis effect bends surface winds, to the right in the northern hemisphere and to the left in the southern, forming the trade winds and the westerlies.
  • Cold air sinks at the poles; where it meets warmer air at about 60°, air rises and brings another wet belt.
  • Rising air means wet, low-pressure zones; sinking air means dry, high-pressure zones.
Heddy Score3/7, Below the standard
See the seven stars
  • Trusted source · passed. The creator's own upload, live and playable here.
  • On the map · not judged yet. A teacher watched it: it mainly teaches this map topic.
  • Spec-true · not judged yet. Accurate, and right for the current UK specification.
  • Focused · passed. One idea, short enough to watch in one go.
  • Accessible · passed. Good captions, clear sound and pictures.
  • Safe for children · not judged yet. Right for 11 to 16 year olds, with no sales pitch.
  • Proven · not judged yet. Earned from our students: they learn from it, find it helpful and watch it to the end.
★ passed · ☆ pending · ✕ failed
Our students

Not enough students yet

Our own students' answers. These are what move ★7 Proven.
On YouTube

948K views · 4.46K likes · Keith Meldahl 7.38K subscribers

As reported by YouTube on 2026-11-01. Not part of the Heddy Score.
How the Heddy Score works

Why we picked it

A short, clear animation linking rising and sinking air in the circulation cells to global wind belts and rainfall patterns.

Keith Meldahl on YouTubechecked 2026-10-22

Plays from youtube-nocookie.com. No YouTube cookies until you press play.