GEOG 120 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: General Circulation Model, Northern Hemisphere, Polar Front
Document Summary
Review: coriolis effect a result of the rotating planet, the appearance of the movement of flowing material; in the northern hemisphere travel will be deflected to the right, and similarly deflected to the left in the southern hemisphere. Troposphere is thicker at the equator because of the warmth and density of the air, and thinner in the colder. Polar front the zone where two different air masses are meeting. Polar front is a dynamic feature, more dynamic in northern hemisphere due to landmasses. May form large undulations called rossby waves. Transport air, matter and energy (heat, moisture) see textbook diagrams for polar fronts, rossby waves, zonal flow and meridinal air flow (north-south) Winds aloft (upper portions of troposphere, near tropopause) not affected by the frictional interaction with the earth"s surface. Still flow from high to low pressure, and are affected by coriolis effect. Jet streams are narrow bands of high velocity winds at the tropopause.
