Q)Eastern Depression?

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Easterly waves oe eastern depressions are roughs of low pressure embedded in north-
east trade winds & they move from east to west.They develp in broad convergence zone
formed by an aggregation of several cloud clusters within ITCZ.Since,the resultant
vigorous convection takes place too close to equator wher coriolis force is too weak to
generate circular atmospheric motions & major synoptic-scale disturbances comparable
with mid-latitude depressions.the tropical convection becomes associated with
pronounced wave like undulations & thwart trade winds.

These troughs alternate with high pressure ridges (divergence zones) with wavelengths
between 2000Km & 4000 Km.these waves have a life span of upto 2 weeks & travel
westwards (in trade wind flow) 6(degrees) - 7 (degrees) long/day at a speed of 5 - 7
m/sec. ,in deep trade wind flow of the southern limb of the Azores & North Pacific sub-
tropical highs.The shallow wek troughs extend from equator to the sub-tropics.their origin
is unclear but they develop over the ropical oceans like - Carribean,where trade wind
inversion is weak or absent during summer 7 autumn especially.the absence of this
stabilizing upper-air inversion within ITCZ allows the surface heating & lapse rate
stepening to develop into unstable,freely convected systems with considerable amounts
of latent heat eleased due to condensation.Ahead of the tough axis,trade wind inversion is
low & strong,prohibiting free convection & producing stable,clear weather.
this zone is also one of the strong divergence as the air moves equatorwards & curves
anticyclonically with vertical contraction of the air coloumn & descending (at Dry
Adiabatic Lapse rate ),drying & cloud free air.Behind the trough axis,inversion is much
higher or absent,allowing deep,free convection with cumulonimbus clouds in the
unstable,humid air & heavy thundery showers.this is a zone of convergence as air moves
polewards & moves cyclonically with vertical expansion of air coloumn & ascending
cooling air ( at Saturated adiabatic Lapse rate).these depressions tend to act as parent
'vortices' for the generation of tropical cyclone 'seedlings' although only 10% of these
disturbances become 'mature' hurricanes.