Atmospheric dynamics

thumb|upright=1.35|Cherry tree moving with the wind blowing about 22 m/sec (about 79 km/h or 49 mph) thumb|Sound of wind blowing in a pine forest at around 25 m/sec, with Wind gust|gust alterations Wind is the natural movement of air or other gases relative to a planet's surface. Winds occur on a range of scales, from thunderstorm flows lasting tens of minutes, to local breezes generated by heating of land surfaces and lasting a few hours, to global winds resulting from the difference in absorption of solar energy between the climate zones on Earth. The study of wind is called anemology.

permanent east-to-west prevailing winds that flow in the Earth's equatorial region

apparent or fictitious force on objects moving within a reference frame that rotates with respect to an inertial frame

fast-flowing atmospheric air-current

fraction of the sky obscured by clouds when observed from a particular location

region of the atmosphere in which atmospheric pressure is lower than that of surrounding regions

Meteorological phenomenon

In the fields of physics, engineering, and earth sciences, advection is the transport of a substance or quantity by bulk motion of a fluid. The properties of that substance are carried with it. Generally the majority of the advected substance is also a fluid. The properties that are carried with the advected substance are conserved properties such as energy. An example of advection is the transport of pollutants or silt in a river by bulk water flow downstream. Another commonly advected quantity is energy or enthalpy. Here the fluid may be any material that contains thermal energy, such as wat

persistent cold-core low-pressure area that circles one of the poles

wind

elongated region of low atmospheric pressure

theoretical wind that would result from an exact balance between the Coriolis force and the pressure gradient force

in meteorology

type of inertial wave in the atmospheres and oceans of planets that largely owe their properties to rotation of the planet

natural atmospheric phenomenon

meteorological term

1000-km-order method of measuring weather systems

ratio of inertial force to Coriolis force

thumb|right|300px|Density lines and isobar (meteorology)|isobars cross vertically in a baroclinic fluid. thumb|right|300px| Visualization of a (fictive) formation of isotherms (red-orange) and isobars (blue) in a baroclinic atmospheric layering. thumb|right|upright=1.2|A rotating tank experiment modelling baroclinic eddies in the atmosphere In fluid dynamics, the baroclinity (often called baroclinicity) of a stratified fluid is a measure of how misaligned the gradient of pressure is from the gradient of density in a fluid. In meteorology, a baroclinic flow is one in which the density depends o

temperature difference per length

narrow corridor or filament of concentrated moisture in the atmosphere

distance over which a quantity decreases by a factor of e; for a planetary atmosphere, the distance over which pressure drops by that factor

physical force from a pressure differential

elongated region of high atmospheric pressure

weather phenomenon

semi-permanent low pressure center located near the Aleutian Islands

largest element of the intraseasonal variability in the tropical atmosphere

fluid whose density is a function of pressure only

meteorological phenomenon in the upper troposphere

thumb|upright=1.35|This collage of GOES 13 satellite images shows the development of a [[nor'easter over two days.]] Cyclogenesis is the development or strengthening of cyclonic circulation in the atmosphere (a low-pressure area). Cyclogenesis is an umbrella term for at least three different processes, all of which result in the development of some sort of cyclone, and at any size from the microscale to the synoptic scale.

type of wave in the ocean or atmosphere

a transition in the amount of pressure between two spatial locations

global cooling phenomena

low-pressure areas that occur over the subtropics

wave within a fluid medium, rather than on the surface

angular frequency at which a vertically displaced parcel will oscillate within a statically stable environment

tropical wind alternation between Krakatoa easterlies and Berson's westerlies

equal to twice the rotation rate Ω of the Earth multiplied by the sine of the latitude φ

semi-permanent weather front

fluid dynamics of naturally occurring flows, such as lava flows, oceans, and planetary atmospheres, on Earth and other planets

condition where the Earth's atmosphere is generally considered to be unstable

in atmospheric science, boundary separating thunderstorm-cooled air from the surrounding air

periodic disturbance

Weather phenomenon

Measurement of height that adjusts for the variation of gravity with latitude and altitude

global-scale periodic oscillations of the atmosphere, analogous to ocean tides

Sudestada (Southeast blow) is the Argentine and Uruguayan name for a climatic phenomenon common to the Río de la Plata (an estuary formed by the combination of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River on the southeastern coastline of South America) and its surrounding region. The phenomenon consists of a sudden rotation of cold southern winds to the south-east. This change, while moderating the cold temperatures, loads the air masses with oceanic humidity, bringing heavy rain and rough seas in the coastal regions. The air circulation also increases the intensity of the winds. The Sudestada is mo

simplified approach for understanding fluid motions in a rotating system

set of nonlinear differential equations used to approximate global atmospheric flow

a cloud form created by atmospheric internal waves.

Anticyclogenesis is the development or strengthening of an anticyclonic circulation in the atmosphere. It is the opposite of anticyclolysis (the dissolution or weakening of an anticyclone) and has a cyclonic equivalent known as cyclogenesis. Anticyclones are alternatively referred to as high pressure systems.

Isopycnals are layers within the ocean that are stratified based on their densities and can be shown as a line connecting points of a specific density or potential density on a graph. Isopycnals are often displayed graphically to help visualize "layers" of the water in the ocean or gases in the atmosphere in a similar manner to how contour lines are used in topographic maps to help visualize topography.

used in geophysics and meteorology

approximation whereby the Coriolis parameter, f, is set to vary linearly in space

length scale at which rotational effects become as important as buoyancy or gravity wave effects in the evolution of the flow about some disturbance

type of concentrated air flow within Earth's atmosphere

model of atmospheric motion

meteorological phenomenon in Central America