Hadley cell

noun

A global-scale tropical atmospheric circulation that features air rising near the Equator, flowing poleward at a height of 10 to 15 kilometers above the earth's surface, descending in the subtropics, and then returning equatorward near the surface. This circulation creates the trade winds, tropical rain-belts and hurricanes, subtropical deserts and the jet streams.

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Meanings

nounHadley cell (plural Hadley cells)

plural Hadley cells

  1. climatologyA global-scale tropical atmospheric circulation that features air rising near the Equator, flowing poleward at a height of 10 to 15 kilometers above the earth's surface, descending in the subtropics, and then returning equatorward near the surface. This circulation creates the trade winds, tropical rain-belts and hurricanes, subtropical deserts and the jet streams.

Origin

Named after amateur meteorologist George Hadley.

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Cite this entry
APA

Hadley cell. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Hadley%20cell

MLA

“Hadley cell.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Hadley%20cell. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Hadley cell,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Hadley%20cell.

Source: Hadley cell on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.