Prevailing easterlies (polar easterlies) are winds that blow in which direction between 60 degrees and the poles?

Prevailing easterlies (polar easterlies) are winds that blow in which direction between 60 degrees and the poles?

• A. East to West Winds Between 60 Degrees and the Poles
• B. West to East Winds Between 60 Degrees and the Poles
• C. East to West Winds Between the Equator and 60 Degrees
• D. West to East Winds Near the Poles

Answer: (A)

Eastern-to-westward flow is what defines easterlies, and the polar easterlies are the prevailing winds found in the high latitudes from about 60 degrees up to the poles. They occur because cold, dense air sinks at the poles and moves toward lower latitudes, with the Coriolis effect bending that flow so the wind travels from the east toward the west. So the best description is east-to-west winds in the region between 60° and the poles. Winds between 60° and the poles are not from west to east (that would be the westerlies, dominant at lower high latitudes). Descriptions that place easterlies between the equator and 60° or mislabel winds near the poles don’t match the actual circulation patterns.

Eastern-to-westward flow is what defines easterlies, and the polar easterlies are the prevailing winds found in the high latitudes from about 60 degrees up to the poles. They occur because cold, dense air sinks at the poles and moves toward lower latitudes, with the Coriolis effect bending that flow so the wind travels from the east toward the west. So the best description is east-to-west winds in the region between 60° and the poles. Winds between 60° and the poles are not from west to east (that would be the westerlies, dominant at lower high latitudes). Descriptions that place easterlies between the equator and 60° or mislabel winds near the poles don’t match the actual circulation patterns.