what is the main cause of global wind patterns?

The Sun.

The main cause of global wind patterns is the unequal heating of the Earth's surface. In order to understand this, let's explore the following steps to arrive at the answer:

Step 1: Understanding the unequal heating of the Earth's surface
The Earth's surface is not heated uniformly. The sun warms the Earth's surface at different rates, depending on factors such as the angle at which the sunlight hits the surface, the duration of sunlight exposure, and the reflective properties of different surfaces (e.g., land, water, ice).

Step 2: Understanding convection cells
The unequal heating of the Earth's surface leads to the formation of convection cells. Convection cells are large-scale patterns of atmospheric circulation that transfer heat from the equator to the poles. These cells occur in both the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere.

Step 3: Understanding the Coriolis effect
A critical factor influencing the direction of winds is the Coriolis effect. The Coriolis effect comes into play due to the rotation of the Earth. As the Earth rotates, the Coriolis effect causes moving air (or any object) to be deflected to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere. This deflection is due to the differing speeds of rotation at different latitudes.

Step 4: Understanding global wind belts
The combination of convection cells and the Coriolis effect results in the formation of the major wind belts across the globe. There are three key wind belts in each hemisphere: the trade winds, the prevailing westerlies, and the polar easterlies.

- Trade winds: These are steady winds that blow from east to west between tropical latitudes (around 30 degrees north and south of the equator) and the equator.
- Prevailing westerlies: These are winds that blow from west to east between the mid-latitudes (around 30 to 60 degrees north and south) and the polar regions.
- Polar easterlies: These are winds that blow from east to west near the poles.

These wind belts are responsible for the global wind patterns and play a crucial role in shaping weather patterns and climate.

In summary, the main cause of global wind patterns is the unequal heating of the Earth's surface, resulting in the formation of convection cells and the interaction with the Coriolis effect, which determines the direction and strength of the major wind belts across the globe.