ENVIRSC 1C03 Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: Planetary Boundary Layer, Fluid Parcel, Centripetal Force

• School: McMaster University
• Department: Environmental Science
• Course: ENVIRSC 1C03
• Professor: Luc Bernier

Document Summary

Wind is the air that is moving horizontally relative to the earths surface. Vertical winds are vertical movements of air. They can be called downdrafts or updrafts too . Winds are caused by unequal heating of the earths atmosphere which creates a pressure gradient. The heated air rises and the surrounding air is sucked under the rising air. (this is the same for local and global winds) They results from horizontal differences in pressure in the atmosphere and winds blow in an attempt to equal the imbalances of air pressure. The pressure gradient force results from differences in pressure between regions. The average surface pressure is 1013. 2 hpa. Air moves from areas of high pressure to low and from areas of high temperature to low. On a chm isobars bend and turnaround areas of high and low pressure (represented by hs and ls on the map) Chm are smoothed and drawn to a constant elevation.