One modeling study suggested that the extent of the Amazon rainforest may be reduced by 70% if global warming continues unchecked, due to regional precipitation changes that result from weakening of large-scale tropical circulation.
Oceanic currents are largely driven by the surface wind stress; hence the large-scale atmospheric circulation is important to understanding the ocean circulation.
Different atmospheric patterns have been observed, including polar vortices, strong zonal winds, and large-scale circulation.
A good example of this would be the large-scale circulation of the mantle (which plate tectonics is a part of).
Many mineral deposits are the result of large-scale circulation of hydrothermal fluid in the upper crust.
This could result in a sudden, long-term drop in the North Atlantic region's temperature, a climatic disruption that would probably reverberate around the hemisphere by altering large-scale atmospheric circulation.
The two main causes of large-scale atmospheric circulation are the differential heating between the equator and the poles, and the rotation of the planet (Coriolis effect).
Most large-scale cyclonic circulations are centered on areas of low atmospheric pressure.
These forcing factors directly influence local to regional atmospheric flow which in turn, can affect large-scale circulation over other areas of the globe (known as teleconnections).
The Coriolis effect strongly affects the large-scale oceanic and atmospheric circulation, leading to the formation of robust features like jet streams and western boundary currents.