GPHY 102 Study Guide - Final Guide: Pressure Gradient, Atmospheric Pressure, Westerlies

• School: Queen's University
• Department: Geography
• Course: GPHY 102
• Professor: Paul M Treitz

Document Summary

Force exerted by weight of a column of air. Decreases as alitude increases (not linear more exponenial) Flows from high to low pressure aka pressure gradient. Moves as the heaing the air occur in a high pressure system cause the isobaric surface to push upward which creates a movement. The earth just wants to transfer energy across it (surplus at equator and deicit at poles) Change of atmospheric pressure measured along a line of right angles. Greater the diference the faster the winds (isolines are closer together) Warm air lows from high to low pressures. In canada in the summer it weakens allowing the snow to melt. Direcion of air moion efected by earth"s rotaion. Delecion to the right in the northern hemisphere and let in the southern (increases with speed of air/ocean currents) Max at poles and no efect at the equator. Causes the westerlies and easterlies to loop back.