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Meteorology Ch 7
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Gravity
Terms in this set (39)
microscale winds
small, chaotic winds that last for seconds or minutes (dustdevils, wind gusts, microbursts)
mesoscale winds
winds that generally last several minutes, and sometimes exist for hours (tornadoes, thunderstorms, local winds: land/sea breeze, Santa Ana)
macroscale winds
divided into 2 categories (planetary-scale and synoptic-scale); (midlatitude cyclones, anticyclones, hurricanes, westerlies, trade winds)
planetary-scale
(westerlies and trade winds that carried vessels back and forth across atlantic) large-scale flow patterns that extend around the entire globe and can unchained for weeks at a time
synoptic-scale
(weather-map scale); about 1000km in diameter and easily identified on weather maps (midlatitude cyclones and anticyclones); mainly in mid-lats
sea breeze
cooler are over water moves landward toward area of lower pressure
land breeze
usually at night land cools more rapidly and formed with airflow off the land
valley breeze
warmer air glides up the mountain slope; cumulus clouds typically develop over adjacent mountain peaks causing late afternoon t-storms
mountain breeze
rapid heat loss along slopes cools air that then drains into the valley, causes wind
chinooks
warm, dry winds, sometimes move down slopes of mountains in USA
foehns
(chinooks but in Alps) warm, dry winds, sometimes move down slopes of Alps; both created when strong pressure gradient happens
Santa Ana
chinook-like wind in USA; in southern Cali, dry and hot winds increase threat of fire
katabatic wind (fall wind)
cold dense air situated over highland area (ice sheets of Greenland/Antarctica) begin to move; cold air cascades like a waterfall (because of gravity)
mistral
blows from French Alps toward Mediterranean Sea (famous katabatic)
bora
origin in Balkan Peninsula and blows to Adriatic Sea (famous katabatic)
country breeze
large urban areas, light wind blowing into the city from the surrounding countryside
Hadley cell
zone between equator and roughly 30 degrees lat N and S; resembles convection model; air rises from equator and sinks as it gets to edges of lat causing circulation
horse latitudes
between 20 and 35 degrees where winds are weak
trade winds
equatorward flow deflected by Coriolis force forms these; allowed ships to move goods between Euro and America
doldrums
where trade winds meet (near equator); region with weak pressure gradient causing monotonous weather
ferrel cell
between 30 and 60 degrees; made to account for westerly surface winds in middle lats
prevailing westerlies
in North America, winds go from west to east
polar cell
driven by subsidence near poles that produces a surface flow that moves equatorward
polar easterlies
winds move east to west
polar front
region where flow of cold air clashes with flow of warm area
equatorial low
low-pressure zone; ascending moist, hot air causes lots of precip
intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ)
visible as a band of clouds near equator, low pressure region where trade winds converge
subtropical highs
high pressure zones, 20-35 degrees on either side of equator where trade winds/westerlies originate
subpolar low
where polar easterlies and westerlies clash in low-pressure convergence zone
polar highs
at Earth's poles, where polar easterlies originate, result from surface cooling
Siberian high
very strong, high-pressure center over frozen landscape of northern Asia; most prominent feature in January pressure map
Bermuda/Azores high
center of subtropical high
Aleutian low
cyclone over north pacific (low pressure)
Icelandic low
cyclone over north atlantic
jet streams
fast streams of air; occur near top of troposphere with winds that can reach almost 240mph (400km/h)
polar jet stream
jet stream that occurs along the polar front
subtropical jet stream
mainly wintertime phenomenon; slower that polar jet, at 25 degree lat
gyres
nearly circular ocean currents
upwelling
rising of cold water from deeper layers to replace warmer surface water (wind-induced
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