Anticyclones

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Anticyclones

• An anticyclone is produced by a large mass of descending air (high atmospheric pressure)


• Light winds, if any (isobars far apart-slack pressure gradient)
• Subsidence warms the air by compression. Any clouds present will evaporate as the
temperature of the air rises above its dewpoint.
• For this reason, anticyclones usually bring fine, dry & settled weather but within the outer
portions of the system it may be cloudy with some rain.

However, an anti-cyclone can have disadvantages:

• cloudless sky with sharp frosts at night or radiation fog


• The sky completely covered by stratus cloud. Dull, cold and foggy or misty weather may
persist for some days (anticyclonic gloom)

Cause of anticyclones

– Convergence (inflow) of air in upper atmosphere (increases the quantity and total
weight of air in an area)

– Divergence (outflow) of air towards surface

In the northern hemisphere, the surface air circulates in a


clockwise direction and out from the centre of the high.

In the southern hemisphere, the surface air circulates in an


anti- clockwise direction and out from the centre of the high.

Northern hemisphere
anticyclone
Formation

Anticyclones occur in the subtropics and in middle and high latitudes.


Formation of an anticyclone requires convergence of air in the upper troposphere.

a) Subtropical anticyclone
b) Middle and high latitude anticyclone

When convergence in the upper troposphere is greater than divergence at the surface, the mean
density of air in the column increases so the surface pressure will increase.

If these conditions continue to exist the central pressure of the anticyclone will increase and the
feature can be said to be intensifying. If the convergence in the upper troposphere is less than the
divergence at the surface, then the surface pressure will decrease and the anticyclone is said to be
weakening.

The air at upper level is dry and is warmed by compressional heating as it subsides into regions of
higher pressure. Thus in the central area of a well-developed anticyclone the air at a height of 500
metres is generally warmer than the air below. This increase in temperature with height is called an
inversion. This is a stable condition in which any vertical ascent of air is arrested at a low level.

Thin Cirrus

Clear skies

Cross section diagram of an anticyclone


Anticyclones can be WARM or COLD.

Warm anticyclones

These are anticyclones in which the surface is warmer than the surrounding air but at higher levels
the air in these anticyclones is actually colder than the surrounding environment at corresponding
levels. These features can be identified on charts through the full depth of the troposphere. These
anticyclones are formed by air motion in the upper atmosphere.

Permanent warm anticyclones:

• these are the oceanic highs in the subtropical belts


• stable pressure systems and the weather is generally fine with little or no cloud and good
visibility
• their average seasonal movement, north and south with the sun, lies somewhat between
30° and 40° in both hemispheres but the mean positions of the centres for any particular
month vary from year to year
• The subtropical highs are the source regions of the tropical maritime air flowing into higher
latitudes to meet the polar front.

Temporary warm anticyclones:

• These may reach Great Britain as ridges moving along the northern perimeter of the Azores
high, or sometimes as separate centres which start as ridges and then break off from the
main system
• In the British Isles, they are more a feature of summer than winter and can persist for long
periods
• They may also develop as a result of continued subsidence within a temporary cold high
which remains stationary for a long period
• A warm high often gives bright fine weather, especially over land in summer
• There is a possibility of sea fog at any time of the year especially in the spring and early
summer
• In autumn and winter, light winds of maritime origin can bring radiation fog.

Cold anticyclones

These are ones in which the air is colder than the air in the surrounding area. They build up over
large land masses in winter, notably over Siberia. The process of formation is by air being cooled
through a long period in a cold region. The column of cold air over the cold surface contracts
vertically leaving a deficiency of air at upper level (an upper low). The resultant inflow increases the
total quantity and weight of air in the area and the barometric pressure increases at surface level.
The layer of cold air produced is very shallow and lies in the lowest 3 to 4 kilometres. Above this
level the air is at ‘normal’ temperatures. This means that these anticyclones do not appear on higher
level charts.

Transitory cold anticyclones:

• Commonly form within a polar maritime air mass in the temperate latitudes and in the rear
of a family of depressions
• An anticyclone or ridge separating successive depressions of a family normally moves with
the depressions
• In winter, near coasts where the air is moist, layer type cloud spreads below the subsidence
inversion and accumulates smoke pollution and dust causing anticyclonic gloom, particularly
in and near large industrial areas.
Blocking highs
High pressures have the ability to interrupt the normal eastward movement of depressions, troughs
and ridges for at least a few days. These are called blocking highs and are typical of high pressure
centres that remain fixed in a particular location for days or even weeks on end.

There is a tendency for blocking highs to persist in preferred geographical areas, especially between
10 and 20 deg. W, just to the west of the United Kingdom, and between 10 and 20 deg. E, over
Scandinavia.

Movement of anticyclones

• Usually slow moving in comparison with depressions


• An anticyclone or ridge between two depressions of a ‘family’ travels with the same speed
and direction as the depressions
• A warm anticyclone moves slowly and tends to become stationary
• Anticyclones move from areas of falling barometric tendencies towards areas of rising
tendencies
• The centre of an anticyclone tends to move toward the area in which the temperature is
falling the fastest.

Now complete course paper 1, questions 1-8

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