Air rises near the equator and diverges polewards

That’s correct. The process you’re describing is a key part of the Hadley cell—a large-scale circulation pattern in Earth’s atmosphere. Here’s a brief explanation of how it works: 1. Near the equator, the intense sunlight heats the surface strongly. This causes the air to warm up, expand, and become buoyant, so it rises. 2. As the warm air rises, it creates an area of lower pressure at the surface. In the upper troposphere, this rising air begins to spread out or diverge toward higher latitudes (away from the equator). 3. As the air moves polewards at higher altitudes, it cools and eventually sinks in the subtropics (around 30° latitude), forming regions of higher pressure. 4. The cool air then flows back toward the equator near the surface (forming the trade winds), completing the circulation loop. This circulation is fundamental to Earth’s climate, affecting weather patterns and the distribution of heat across the planet. Let me know if you’d like more details or have other questions about atmospheric circulation!