general atmospheric circulation

The three-dimensional flow of air in the troposphere. In the more or less detailed representations made of it, the main ascending and descending currents, the dominant winds, and the circulation cells shaping complex atmospheric dynamics appear. Any of those diagrams shows a simplified representation of reality and an average of the continuous fluctuations, both spatial and temporal, to which the aforementioned air flow is subject. Solar radiation and Earth's rotation are its main drivers. The differing amount of solar radiation received by the Earth's surface depending on latitude, the unequal heating undergone by continental and oceanic areas, as well as their spatial distribution, generate significant atmospheric pressure differences between different areas of the Earth's surface, which induces air movement at a planetary scale. The GAC (the acronym by which general atmospheric circulation is abbreviated) is responsible for transporting the heat that accumulates in excess in the equatorial zone to the rest of the planet.