trade wind
Equatorial sailing breeze
Trade winds are steady winds that blow toward the equator from the northeast in the Northern Hemisphere and from the southeast in the Southern Hemisphere.
They were crucial to sailing commerce, providing reliable routes across oceans: Ships rode the trade winds to the Caribbean.
The name likely derives from an obsolete sense of trade meaning "course" or "path" rather than commerce.
Winds from the east
- tropicsWarm equatorial region
- Coriolis effectApparent deflection on rotating bodies
- prevailing windsMost frequent directional airflow
- horse latitudesSubtropical zones of calm
doldrums · ITCZ · equator · global circulation · pressure gradient
Wind-propelled water travel
- navigationDetermining position and course
- Age of DiscoveryEuropean maritime expansion era
- galleonsMulti-decked sailing warships
- clipper shipsFast sailing cargo vessels
sea route · voyage · circumnavigate · mariners · merchants · explorers · Columbus · Magellan
Warm equatorial region
- CaribbeanTropical Atlantic region
- tropical islandsWarm landmasses amid ocean
- coastal breezeWind near the shore
- humidityMoisture in atmosphere
monsoon · dry season · wet season · tropical weather · El Niño · La Niña · palm trees · coconut palms
easterlies
Winds from the east
- tropicsWarm equatorial region
- Coriolis effectApparent deflection on rotating bodies
- prevailing windsMost frequent directional airflow
horse latitudes · doldrums · ITCZ · equator · global circulation · pressure gradient
sailing
Wind-propelled water travel
- navigationDetermining position and course
- Age of DiscoveryEuropean maritime expansion era
- galleonsMulti-decked sailing warships
clipper ships · sea route · voyage · circumnavigate · mariners · merchants · explorers · Columbus · Magellan · passage
tropics
Warm equatorial region
- CaribbeanTropical Atlantic region
- tropical islandsWarm landmasses amid ocean
- coastal breezeWind near the shore
humidity · monsoon · dry season · wet season · tropical weather · El Niño · La Niña · palm trees · coconut palms · cumulus
- Indian OceanArabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Andaman Sea
- seafaringship, sailors, ships, sail, sailor
- windsbreeze, gust, gusts, gale, squall
- Subtropicsmild winters, humid summers, wet season, dry season, hurricanes
- historic travelGrand Tour, carriage, pilgrimages, wagon, Silk Road
- coastal desertsAtacama, Namib, coastal dunes
trade windmonsoon
Seasonal tropical wind pattern
doldrums · horse latitudes · land breeze · sea breeze · chinook
wind, track, trade, tradition, tread, trader, trading, trademark, traded