Pressure-Wind Relationships in the Equatorial Surface Westerlies

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Abstract
Seasonally persistent westerly winds at the surface in the vicinity of the equator from 40E to 170E longitude are shown to be the generally predictable result of a geostrophically appropriate pressure gradient at latitudes higher than about 5° north or south, and a negative value of the second derivative of the pressure with latitude within about five degrees latitude of the equator. Existing empirical equatorial wind-pressure relationships are shown to be specific cases of these general relationships. The initiating mechanism for equatorial westerlies seems to be a movement of the equatorial trough more than five degrees of latitude from the equator.