EESA09H3 Lecture 7: Polar Lows and Other Storms
2 Aug 2018
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Document Summary
Eesa09- lecture 7- polar lows and other storms. Polar low: sort of a hybrid of hurricanes and related to midlatitude cyclones but occurs in the polar latitudes (sometimes called arctic hurricanes"). Polar lows are cyclones that form over open seas (like hurricanes) but in polar regions. They only last a day or two and span several hundred kilometers in diameter. Has a center eye" and a comma shaped cloud. Forms when cold arctic air (air masses cp or ca) move over warmer seas, creating a temperature gradient (which results in a pressure gradient as well and strong winds). The sensible and latent heat of the air masses act as a fuel (energy source) for the storm. The warm air from the water"s surface rises and interacts with the cold air masses. With polar lows, snow forms rather than rain. For the northern hemisphere, the most polar lows occur in the atlantic ocean, pacific.
