Conservation Laws and Atmospheric Dynamics

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts related to conservation laws and atmospheric dynamics.

Nonlocal Stability

Characterization of atmospheric stability based on buoyant movements of air parcels, rather than local lapse rates.

Stable

Regions where displaced air parcels return to their original level after being disturbed.

Unstable

Regions where displaced air parcels continue to move away from their original level, capable of entering and transiting under their own buoyancy.

Neutral

Regions where displaced air parcels neither rise nor sink but remain at the same level.

Conservation of Mass

The law stating that the total mass in a system must remain constant over time.

Continuity Equation

A mathematical expression of the conservation of mass, representing the rate of change in density as equal to the divergence of mass.

Conservation of Energy

The principle that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed from one form to another.

Conduction

The transfer of heat through molecular agitation and collisions within a substance.

Convection

The transfer of heat by the movement of fluid, involving both horizontal and vertical motion.

Radiation

The transfer of energy in the form of electromagnetic waves, not requiring a medium.

Geostrophic Wind

The wind that results from a balance between the pressure gradient force and the Coriolis effect, blowing parallel to isobars.

Thermal Wind

The change in geostrophic wind with height resulting from horizontal temperature gradients.

Viscous Flow

Flows that account for the effects of fluid viscosity, characterized by mixing and momentum transfer.

Turbulent Flow

A type of flow characterized by chaotic changes in pressure and flow velocity, leading to mixing.

Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL)

The lowest part of the atmosphere, where turbulence is present and significantly affects meteorological processes.

Buoyant Motion

Movement of air parcels driven by density differences; warm parcels rise while cold parcels sink.

Navier-Stokes Equations

Equations describing the motion of fluid substances, accounting for viscosity and pressure changes.

Coriolis Force

The apparent force that acts on objects in motion within a rotating reference frame, affecting wind and current direction.

Boussinesq Approximation

Simplifications applied in fluid dynamics to ignore density changes for small temperature differences.

Hydrostatic Equation

An equation that relates the pressure gradient force to the weight of the air above a given level.