🔍 Key Concepts

• Trade winds are driven by large-scale pressure patterns between subtropical highs and equatorial lows • Seasonal changes in land/sea temperature alter the pressure gradient and thus wind strength • In tropical and subtropical regions, summer vs. winter often changes both moisture content and wind speed

💭 Think About

• Think about whether the pressure gradient between the subtropical high and the equatorial low is usually stronger in the cooler (winter) or warmer (summer) season • Consider how sea surface temperature and convection in summer affect rainfall along the path of the southeast trades • Ask yourself: when the temperature contrast is greater, do winds tend to be stronger or weaker?

✅ Before You Answer

• Decide first whether you are being asked mainly about wind strength or moisture content • Recall whether trades are typically more rainy in the warm (summer) season or the cool (winter) season in tropical regions • Before choosing, be sure your option matches one clear idea: either a change in dry/wet or a change in strong/weak, not both.