ATOC 1050 Lecture Notes - Lecture 18: Norwegian Cyclone Model, Polar Front, Westerlies

• School: CU-Boulder
• Department: Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences
• Course: ATOC 1050
• Professor: Melissa Nigro

Document Summary

Polar-front theory (norwegian cyclone model: the majority of weather in the mid-latitudes (florida to alaska) is generated by mid-latitude cyclones, the norwegians were the first to develop an atmospheric model that could predict the development of mid-latitude cyclones. Wave cyclones develop along the polar front where there is a large temperature gradient: stationary front-separates cold polar air from warm sub-tropical air. Wave cyclones develop along the polar front where there is a large temperature gradient: frontal wave-the initial kink that forms on the polar front. Warm sector- the warm air mass located between the cold and warm fronts. Middle-latitude cyclones: middle-latitude cyclones are also called extratropical cyclones or mid-latitude cyclones, polar front theory-a theory that explains the life cycle of mid-latitude cyclones and their associated fronts. Lee-side low: as westerly winds blow over a mountain range, the air expands vertically on the downwind (lee0 side, which can help intensify any pre-existing areas of low pressure.