Synoptic meteorology and weather

boundary separating two masses of air of different densities

map that displays meteorological conditions

elongated region of low atmospheric pressure

1000-km-order method of measuring weather systems

rapidly deepening extratropical cyclonic low-pressure area

elongated region of high atmospheric pressure

weather front

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.

A type of weather map

School of thought in meteorology

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.

air that flows outwards from a storm system

Frontolysis (also known as Frontal decay) in meteorology, is the dissipation or weakening of an atmospheric front. It is generally described as a decrease in temperature gradients between colliding air masses or can be caused by a shift in wind pattern.

Frontogenesis is a meteorological process of tightening of horizontal temperature gradients to produce fronts. In the end, two types of fronts form: cold fronts and warm fronts. A cold front is a narrow line where temperature decreases rapidly. A warm front is a narrow line of warmer temperatures and essentially where much of the precipitation occurs. Frontogenesis occurs as a result of a developing baroclinic wave. According to Hoskins & Bretherton (1972, p. 11), there are eight mechanisms that influence temperature gradients: horizontal deformation, horizontal shearing, vertical deforma

weather system

Atmospheric and ocean flow equations

meteorology

Type of meteorological illustration

thumb|A nephanalysis of the North Atlantic based on photographs taken on a rocket launch in 1959 A nephanalysis or neph chart is a type of synoptic chart plotting the types and amount of clouds and precipitation. Nephanalyses may map cloud cover, the altitudes of cloud tops, or cloud ceilings, incorporating data from surface, aerial, and satellite observations. The earliest nephanalyses were based on cloud reports from surface weather stations and were used to study the structure of weather fronts. Satellite observations largely supplanted surface observations for most applications of nephanal

Q-vectors are used in atmospheric dynamics to understand physical processes such as vertical motion and frontogenesis. Q-vectors are not physical quantities that can be measured in the atmosphere but are derived from the quasi-geostrophic equations and can be used in the previous diagnostic situations. On meteorological charts, Q-vectors point toward upward motion and away from downward motion. Q-vectors are an alternative to the omega equation for diagnosing vertical motion in the quasi-geostrophic equations.

in meteorology, the flow of a fluid into a large collection of that fluid