MET–MI

DTERMS

WI
NDANDPRESSURESYSTEMS
WI
ND
 Hor
izont
almov
ementofai
r
 Det
ermined by Hi
gh Pr
essur
e and
LowPressur
e

 Di
ff
erences in
ATMOSPHERICPRESSURE

 Creates pr
essur
e gr
adi
ent CORI
OLI
SFORCE
force
 Duet
oEar
th’
srot
ati
on
WEATHERMAP
 DEFLECTION – act
s per
pendicul
ar
tot
hedirect
ionofmoti
ontotheaxis
ofr
otati
on
 NORTHERNHEMISPHERE–RIGHT;
cl
ockwi
sef
lowar
oundaHPar
ea
 SOUTHERN HEMI SPHERE – LEFT;
counter
-cl
ockwi
sefl
ow ar
oundaLP
area
 Due t
othis def
lect
ion,PRESSURE
BELTEXI
STS
 Aff
ect
s allobj
ect
s moving f
reel
y
acr
ossthef
aceoft
heear
th

PRESSURESYSTEM  Affect t
he behavi
or of t
he ai
r
causedtheear
th’
srot
ati
on
 LowPr
essur
eSy
stem
 Nor
otat
ion=st
rai
ghtpat
h
o Occur
swhenai
riswar
m
 Wi
thr
otat
ion–cur
vedpat
h
o Refers t o as CYCLONE
(counter
-cl
ockwi
se)  Fr
ictional Force – r educes the
Corioli
sForce;causest
hewi ndtobe
o ASSOCI
ATED:war
m &wet di
fferentorbehaveinadiff
erentway
 Hi
ghPr
essur
eSy
stem QUESTI
ON:WhatcausesHPandLP?
o Occur
swhenai
riscool GLOBALWI
NDPATTERN
o Refer
stoasANTI
-CYCLONE
(cl
ockwi
se)
o ASSOCI
ATED:cool
&dr
y
Rot
ati
on(
Nor
ther
n)
MET–MI
DTERMS

 Common i n the
middl
elat
it
udes
 Low-lev
el air fl
ows
Northwardfrom t he
HP ar ea at 30
degrees = def
lect
ed
totheri
ght
 SW
 NW
 Howt
heai
rbehav
einagl
obal
scal
e o Pol
arEst
erl
ies
 WI
NDBELTS:  Cold polarai
rfl
ows
o Tr
adeWi
nds Southward fr
om an
area of HP =
 NE TW ( North East defl
ectedtot
heri
ght
Trade Wi nds) –
around 30 degr ees QUESTI
ON
North = f l
ow i s  Whati
fourpl
anetdoesnotr
otat
e?
Eastward = causi ng
ai
rt oconvergeatt hi
s  Woul
dCor
iol
isf
orceexi
st?
l
atit
ude = cr eat
es a
 Whathappenst
othecel
ls?(
Hadl
ey
semi-per
manent HP
Cel
l,
etc.
)
area
SUBSI
DIARYPRESSURESYSTEMS
 Airfl
owsback
toward the  Trough – an elongat
ed ar
ea of
equatorwhere rel
ati
vel
ylowpr
essure
anar eaofLP
exist
s  Ridge – an elongat
ed ar
ea of
rel
ati
vel
yhi
ghpr
essure
 Instead of i t
 Cols – an ar ea on the Ear
th’
s
mov ing
surface not dir
ectl
y under the
straight
i
nfluenceofeit
herahi ghoralow-
because of
pressuresy
stem
Cor i
olis For
ce
i
t s def lect
ed  Can designat
e ei t
her a
to t he l eft neut
ralar
eabetween2highs
(fr
om 30 and2lows
degr ees t
o
equat or)  I
nter
sect
ion ofa r
idge and
t
rough
 SE TW (Sout
h East
Tr
adeWinds) LOCALWI
NDPATTERN

o West
erl
ies  SeaBr
eeze
o Ni
ght– l
and sur
face cool
s
MET–MI
DTERMS

quicker t han t he water

surface;war merairov
ert
he
oceani sr
ising
o Day– l
andheatsupf ast
er
t
hant
hewatersur
face
 LandBr
eeze
o Densercoolai
roverthel
and
i
s f l
owing offshore to
repl
eni
shthewarm ai
r
 Kat
abat
icWi
nd(
Mount
ainBr
eeze)
o Night– hi
gherterr
aincool
s
offand ev
entual
lybecomes
coolert
hantheairov ert
he
vall
ey
o Asthegroundcool satni
ght
ai
rfl
owsdownt heslopeand
awayfr
om higherter
rai
n
o “downslopefl
ow”–pr
essur
e
gradi
entisrev
erse
 Anabat
icWi
nd(
Val
l
eyBr
eeze)
o As mount ai
n sl opes are
warmed by t he sun, the
adj
acentai
risalsoheat
ed
o Low level
s = airt ypi
call
y
fl
owsupt heal
leyandupt he
warm sl
opesduri
ngtheday
o “
upslopefl
ow”– heatedair
i
slessdensethantheairat
t
he same alt
it
ude ov
ert he

v
all
ey