ESSC 1020 air pressure and wind

Barometer

Aneroid and mercury barometers

pressure gradient

pressure change over distance

isobars

lines of equal air pressure

pressure gradient force

lines of equal air pressure on a weather map

geostrophic wind

jet stream

"river" of air, high altitude, high velocity

cyclone

a center of low pressure, pressure decreases toward the center, associated with rising winds, often bring clouds and precipitation

convergence

inward cyclone winds

counterclockwise rotation

Convergence in the Northern Hemisphere

anticyclone

a center of high pressure, pressure increases toward the center, associated with subsiding air, usually brings "fair" weather

divergence

outward winds

clockwise rotation

divergence in the Northern Hemisphere

subsiding air

downward movement of air. Cooled air sinks

monsoon

seasonal change in wind direction, occur over continents

mid-latitude cyclone

A cyclone that forms in the middle latitudes at the polar front.

westerlies

complex, air flow is interrupted by cyclones

prevailing winds

comes more often from one direction

what is the average atmospheric pressure at sea level?

1013.2 mb

types of local winds

-Land and sea breezes

-Mountain and valley breezes

-Chinook and Santa Ana winds

how is wind measured

Direction and speed

El Nino vs LA Nina events

they are opposites (powerpoint has it all with no blanks)