AOSC 200 Chapter Notes - Chapter 6: Katabatic Wind, North Wind, Geostrophic Wind
5 Mar 2018
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Document Summary
Air pressure: the mass of air above a given level. Horizontal pressure variations-a tale of two cities. It takes a shorter column of cold, more dense air to exert the same surface pressure as a taller column of warm, less-dense air. Heating and cooling columns of air can establish horizontal variations in air pressure both aloft and at the surface. These horizontal differences in air pressure cause the wind to blow. Force exerted by air molecules over a given area. Low pressure: mid-latitude cyclonic storms, extratropical storms. Surface maps show where the centers of low and high pressure zones are. Newton"s law of motion: an object at rest will remain at rest and an object in motion will remain in motion as long as no force is exerted on the object. Directed from higher toward lower pressure at right angles to the isobars. The force that causes the wind to blow.
