ESS5
Prof. Jin-Yi Yu
qPressure Gradients
–The pressure gradient
force initiates movement of atmospheric mass, wind, from
areas of higher to areas of lower pressure
qHorizontal Pressure Gradients
–Typically only small
gradients exist across large spatial scales (1mb/100km)
–Smaller scale weather
features, such as hurricanes and tornadoes, display larger
pressure gradients across small areas (1mb/6km)
qVertical Pressure Gradients
–Average
vertical pressure gradients are usually greater than extreme
examples of horizontal pressure gradients as
pressure always decreases with altitude (1mb/10m)
Pressure Gradients