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)