FILM-6010 Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: Geostrophic Wind, Hydrostatic Equilibrium, Rossby Wave
14 Jun 2020
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Wind gust is the maximum observed wind speed. Frictional force is caused by the flow of wind over the roughness of the earth"s surface. Hydrostatic balance occurs when two forces are equal and push in opposite directions. Nearly earth"s surface, there is a large pgf but is offset by gravity for hydrostatic balance. Synoptic-scale systems are next in size, including mid- latitude low-pressure systems as well as geostrophic balance between the pressure gradient and coriolis forces. Planetary-scale systems are largest, and geostrophic balance helps explain them with an example of the tropical circulation pattern known as the hadley cell. Geostrophic balance is when the pgf is counterbalanced by the coriolis force. Because the coriolis force always pushed to the right of the wind in the northern hemisphere, a wind with lower pressure that blows to the left is necessary for geostrophic balance. Where is the coriolis force at a maximum and pushes to the.
