antitrade
Noun: 1. Persistent winds in the Earth's atmosphere: A meteorological term for the upper-level winds in tropical regions that blow from the west to the east, in the opposite direction to the trade winds found at lower altitudes.
The term is used almost exclusively in meteorology and geography to describe a specific atmospheric circulation pattern. * The antitrade winds are a consistent feature of the tropical atmosphere. * Sailors in the age of exploration were aware of the antitrade winds at higher altitudes. * Meteorologists study the antitrade to understand global wind patterns.
- The Antitrades (plural form): This is the most common way to refer to these winds collectively.
- The antitrades flow above the surface trade winds, completing the atmospheric circulation cell.
- Trade wind (n): The steady easterly winds found in the tropics, blowing toward the equator, which the antitrade winds overlie.
- Westerlies (n): While also west-to-east winds, the westerlies occur in the mid-latitudes (e.g., 30° to 60°), not the tropics like the antitrades.
- Counter-trade winds: A less common but direct synonym.
- Tropical westerlies: A descriptive synonym emphasizing their location and direction.
The word "antitrade" does not have common meanings outside of its specific meteorological definition. It is not used to describe economic policies (anti-trade) or general opposition to commerce.
- winds blowing from west to east and lying above the trade winds in the tropics