Lecture Week 9: Topics

Forces in the Atmosphere

[REF: lecture manual, AJJ12 Ch 8 / AJJ16 Ch 8]

• motion - Newton's first and second laws
• real forces
• apparent forces - Coriolis force
• Active Figure 8.21 (Coriolis Force)
• force balance
• ``natural'' coordinate system
• equation of motion
• geostrophic wind
• Active Figure 8.24 (Geostrophic Wind)
• gradient wind
• cyclostrophic wind
• force balance with friction
• Buys-Ballot's Law
• applications of equation of motion

Jet streams and upper-level patterns

[REF: AJJ12 - Ch 10, Ch 8 / AJJ16 Ch 8; Ch10 p 289-292]

• formation via the hydrostatic law
• related to cyclones / anticyclones and weather
• constant pressure charts - geopotential heights
• relationship between upper-level pressure patterns, winds, cyclones