The Hadley cell extends from the equator to around which latitude?

The Hadley cell extends from the equator to around which latitude?

• A. Around 60° North
• B. Around 30° North
• C. Around 15° North
• D. At the Equator

Answer: (B)

The Hadley cell is a tropical circulation that links the equator to subtropical regions. Intense heating at the equator makes air rise, creating convection and the ITCZ. This air then moves poleward aloft, cools, and sinks around 30° latitude, forming the subtropical highs and the surface trade winds. Because of this pattern, the Hadley cell extends from the equator to about 30° latitude in each hemisphere, so in the northern hemisphere it reaches roughly 30° North. The other options place the boundary too far north, too close to the equator, or at the equator itself, which doesn’t fit the observed extent of this circulation.

The Hadley cell is a tropical circulation that links the equator to subtropical regions. Intense heating at the equator makes air rise, creating convection and the ITCZ. This air then moves poleward aloft, cools, and sinks around 30° latitude, forming the subtropical highs and the surface trade winds. Because of this pattern, the Hadley cell extends from the equator to about 30° latitude in each hemisphere, so in the northern hemisphere it reaches roughly 30° North. The other options place the boundary too far north, too close to the equator, or at the equator itself, which doesn’t fit the observed extent of this circulation.