General Atmospheric

Circulation
I
“ t sculptures rocks, moves leaves, blows smoke,
and lifts water vapor upward to where it can
condense into clouds. It is with us wherever we
go. On a hot day, it can cool us off; on a cold day,
it can make us shiver. It can sharpen our appetite
as it blows the aroma from a local bakery into our
direction. It is a indeed powerful element. The
„workhorse of weather‟, it moves storms and large
fair-weather systems around the globe. It
transports heat, moisture, dust, insects, bacteria,
and pollens from one area to another.”
Scales of Atmospheric Motion
Microscale:
Ö eddies of small
diameters -
a few meters or less)
Ö disperse smoke,
sway branches &
swirl dust & papers
into the air
Ö are usually short-
lived-last only a few
minutes at best.
Scales of Atmospheric Motion
Mesoscale:
Ö range from a few
kilometers to about a
hundred kilometers in
diameter.
Ö last longer; often many
minutes, hours, or in some
cases as long as a day.
Ö include local winds
along shorelines and
mountains,
thunderstorms,tornadoes,
& small tropical storms.
Scales of Atmospheric Motion
Synoptic Scale:
Ö dominate regions
of hundreds to even
thousands of square kms
Ö typically last for days &
sometimes weeks.
Planetary (Global) Scale.
Ö largest wind patterns
ranging over the entire
earth.
Ö the synoptic & planetary
scales are combined and
referred to as the
Macroscale.
The Scales of Atmospheric Motion
with the Phenomena’s
Average Size and Life Span*
Why the wind blows?
Recall:
Newton’s Laws of
Motion
1st Law
2nd Law
An object at rest will remain at rest
and an object in motion will remain
in motion (and travel at a constant
velocity along a straight line) unless
acted upon by a net external force.

The force exerted on an object

equals its mass times the
acceleration produced.
Forces that affect
air movement
Pressure Gradient Force (PGF)
Pressure Gradient Force

• The closer the spacing of the isobars, the greater

the pressure gradient.
• The greater the pressure gradient, the stronger
the pressure gradient force (PGF).
• The stronger the PGF, the greater the wind speed.
Coriolis Force

If the pressure gradient force were the only

force acting upon air, winds would blow
directly from higher toward lower pressure.

However, the moment air starts to move, it is

deflected in its path by the Coriolis force.

Coriolis force describes an apparent

force that is due to the rotation of
the earth.
Coriolis Force
Coriolis Force
It seems as if there is some force causing the ball to
deflect to the right.

This apparent force is called the Coriolis force –

named after Gaspard Coriolis, a nineteenth-century
French scientist who worked it out mathematically.
It is an apparent force due to the rotation of the
earth - called the Coriolis effect.

It occurs on the rotating earth, too (on all free

moving objects, such as ocean currents, aircraft,
artillery projectiles, and air molecules)
Coriolis Force

The Coriolis force causes the wind to deflect

to the right of its intended path in the
Northern Hemisphere and
to the left of its intended path in the
Southern Hemisphere.
Coriolis Force

The Coriolis force causes the wind to deflect

to the right of its intended path in the
Northern Hemisphere and
to the left of its intended path in the
Southern Hemisphere.
Coriolis Force (CF)

The amount of deflection depends upon:

1. the rotation of the earth
2. the latitude
3. the object’s speed

CF = 2V(sin)
where: V = wind speed
 = earth’s angular acceleration
 = latitude
Joining Forces:

GEOSTROPHIC WIND
Geostrophic wind:

 the interaction of the PGF and CF

 the isobars are straight and evenly spaced
 the wind speed is constant

“In the atmosphere, isobars are rarely straight or

evenly spaced, and the wind normally changes
speed as it flows along”

 the geostrophic wind is an approximation

Joining Forces:
PGF accelerates the
air inward toward
the center of the
low;

CF deflects the
moving air to its
right, until the air is
moving parallel to
the isobars at
position 2.
Joining Forces:
A wind that blows
at a constant
speed parallel to
curved isobars
above the level of
frictional
influence is
termed a gradient
wind.
Centripetal acceleration
• An object accelerates
when there is a change in
its speed or direction (or
both).
• Gradient wind blowing
around the low- pressure
center is constantly
accelerating.
• Centripetal acceleration
is directed at right angles
to the wind, inward
toward the low center.
Centripetal force
• The net force acting on
the wind is directed
toward the center of the
low, keeping the air to
move counterclockwise,
circular path.
• It is called the
centripetal force
(centri: center; petal: to
push toward)
• It is the result of an
imbalance between the
CF and the
PGF.
Gradient wind:
 the imbalance between the PGF and CF
 the isobars are curved and evenly spaced
 the wind speed is constant

“In the atmosphere, isobars are rarely evenly

spaced, and the wind normally changes speed as it
flows along”

 the gradient wind is an approximation

Surface wind:

Geostrophic wind
Surface winds:
The effect of surface friction is
to slowdown the wind so that,
near the ground, the wind
crosses the isobars and blows
toward lower pressure.
This phenomenon produces an
outflow of air around a high and
an inflow around a low.
 General Atmospheric
Circulation
 the average flow of air in the entire globe
 based on wind observations (20 or more years)

 complex pattern of winds & pressure systems

The underlying cause of the
general circulation is the
unequal heating of the earth’s surface.

If averaged over the entire earth,

incoming solar radiation is roughly
equal to outgoing earth radiation.

The tropics experience a net gain in

energy, while polar regions suffer a net
loss.
 To balance these inequities, the
atmosphere transports warm air
poleward and cool air equatorward.

Although seemingly simple, the

actual flow of air is complex;
certainly not everything is
known about it.
Single-Cell Model
Assumptions:

1.The earth’s surface is uniformly covered

with water. (so that differential heating
between land and water does not come into
play)
Single-Cell Model

Assumptions:
2. The sun is always directly over
the equator. (so that the winds
will not shift seasonally)
Single-Cell Model

Assumptions:

3. The earth does not rotate. (so that the only

force we need deal with is the pressure
gradient force)
Idealized Pattern
of the GAC

Single Cell
Model
Single Cell
Model HIGH

L L
LOW

HIGH
Region Names
in the World
If the earth is
rotating:

L L
L
Three-Cell Model

If we allow
the earth to
spin, the
simple
convection
system
breaks into a
series of
cells.
Three-Cell Model
The tropical
regions still
receive an excess
of heat and the
poles a deficit.
In each
hemisphere, 3 cells
instead of 1 take
the task of energy
redistribution.
Three-Cell Model
A surface high-
pressure area is
located at the poles,
and a broad trough
of low pressure still
exists at the
equator.
From the equator
to 30°, the
circulation closely
resembles that of a
Hadley cell, as does
the circulation
from the poles to
about 60°.
RECAP!
JET STREAMS
JET STREAMS
Thank you!
Refresher!
In a ¼ sheet
of paper, draw
the General
Atmospheric
Circulation.
Indicate all
planetary
pressure belts
& wind
systems.