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Understanding Atmospheric Winds and Circulation

This document defines and describes various types of atmospheric circulation patterns and wind phenomena: Jet streams are fast flowing air currents found in the atmospheres of planets like Earth. Trade winds blow predominantly in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, strengthening in winter. Polar jets are powerful upper-level winds that move westerly in midlatitudes. Thermal winds are the difference between upper and lower geostrophic winds caused by temperature differences. Katabatic winds carry dense air down slopes under gravity, while anabatic winds blow up slopes facing the sun. Convective storms like thunderstorms cause hazards from lightning, heavy rain, hail and tornadoes. Atmospheric waves are periodic disturbances that propagate through pressure, temperature and

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15 views2 pages

Understanding Atmospheric Winds and Circulation

This document defines and describes various types of atmospheric circulation patterns and wind phenomena: Jet streams are fast flowing air currents found in the atmospheres of planets like Earth. Trade winds blow predominantly in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, strengthening in winter. Polar jets are powerful upper-level winds that move westerly in midlatitudes. Thermal winds are the difference between upper and lower geostrophic winds caused by temperature differences. Katabatic winds carry dense air down slopes under gravity, while anabatic winds blow up slopes facing the sun. Convective storms like thunderstorms cause hazards from lightning, heavy rain, hail and tornadoes. Atmospheric waves are periodic disturbances that propagate through pressure, temperature and

Uploaded by

Gaylethunder007
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Planetary Circulation

The instantaneous large-scale flow in the troposphere when viewed as a hemispheric or


worldwide system.
Jet Streams
Jet streams are fast flowing, narrow, meandering air currents in the atmospheres of some planets,
including Earth.
Trade Winds
The trade winds blow predominantly in the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere,
strengthening during the winter and when the Arctic oscillation is in its warm phase.
Polar Jets
A belt of powerful upper-level winds that sits atop the polar front. The winds are strongest in the
tropopause and move in a generally westerly direction in midlatitudes.
Geostrophic winds
Air under the influence of both the pressure gradient force and Coriolis force tends to move
parallel to isobars in conditions where friction is low and isobars are straight.
Thermal winds
The thermal wind is the vector difference between the geostrophic wind at upper altitudes minus
that at lower altitudes in the atmosphere.
Gradient winds
A wind with a velocity and direction that defined by the relationship of the pressure gradient
force to the centrifugal force and the Coriolis force: conceived as blowing parallel to isobars.
Katabatic winds
A katabatic wind is the technical name for a drainage wind, a wind that carries high-density air
from a higher elevation down a slope under the force of gravity.
Anabatic Winds
Anabatic wind, also called upslope wind, local air current that blows up a hill or mountain slope
facing the Sun.
Bora winds
The bora is a cold and typically very dry and often gusty katabatic wind (fall-wind) from the
north-east. Bora winds can occur anytime during the year.
Foehn winds
A foehn is a type of dry, warm, down-slope wind that occurs in the lee (downwind side) of a
mountain range.
Chinook winds
A Chinook wind is a warm and dry wind produced by lee-side wind flow from a high elevation
region. The term is derived from Native American people who live where the wind originates.
Sea Breeze
Any wind that blows from a large body of water toward or onto a landmass; it develops due to
differences in air pressure created by the differing heat capacities of water and dry land.
Land Breeze
A breeze blowing towards the sea from the land, especially at night, owing to the relative warmth
of the sea.
Convective storms
Convective Storms commonly known as thunderstorms, convective storms are the atmospheric
phenomenon responsible for weather hazards such as lightning, heavy rain, hail, and tornadoes.
Downdrafts
A high-pressure region will attract air from the surrounding area, which will move towards the
center and sink, spawning a downdraft.
Hurricanes
An intense tropical weather system of strong thunderstorms with a well-defined surface
circulation and maximum sustained winds of 74 mph (64 kt) or higher.
Typhoons
A typhoon is a mature tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern
Hemisphere. This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin.
Tornadoes
A tornado is a rapidly rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth
and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud.
Gusts
A brief increase in the wind speed, usually less than 20 seconds. It has more transient character
than a squall, which lasts minutes, and followed by a lull or slackening in the wind speed.
Dust Devils
A dust devil is a strong, well-formed, and relatively short-lived whirlwind, ranging from small to
large. The primary vertical motion is upward.
Microbursts
A microburst is an intense small-scale downdraft produced by a thunderstorm or rain shower.
There are two types of microbursts: wet microbursts and dry microbursts.
Nocturnal Jets
Nocturnal jet is a fast-moving air current in the lower atmosphere during nighttime when the
skies are clear.
Atmospheric Waves
An atmospheric wave is a periodic disturbance in the fields of atmospheric variables (surface
pressure or geopotential height, temperature, or wind velocity) which either propagate or not.

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