Climatology
Weather and Climate
Atmospheric pressure
Pressure gradient force, Coriolis
force, Friction
Geostrophic wind
Low- and High pressure cells
Weather refers to the state of the
atmosphere at a specific place on a
particular day or at a particular time
Climate refers to the general pattern
of the weather that a place
experience over the past 30 years.
Atmospheric pressure
• Definition: Atmospheric pressure is
the force exerted by the weight of
the atmosphere on a surface
• The atmosphere has 3 main
properties
Air has weight
Air can be compressed
Air can move
• The unit of pressure is hectopascal
(hPa)
• A barometer is used to measure
pressure
• Isobars are lines joining all places
that have the same pressure
High pressure Low pressure
Factors that influence pressure across
the Earth’s surface
Temperature Warm air expands and rises,
causing a LP. Cold air contracts,
and a HP results
Position over land or In summer land masses are hot,
sea and a LP forms. In winter land
masses are cold, and a HP forms
Altitude Places closer to sea level have
higher pressures and places lying
at a high altitude have lower
pressures
Water vapour Water vapour is a light gas and so
content air with a high moisture content
has a LP while dry air has a HP
Air movement Convergence of air causes air to
rise and so a LP is found. The
divergence of air causes air to
subside and so HP is found
Divergence – When two air masses move
away from one another
Convergence – When two air masses move
towards one another
Types of pressure
• Thermal: Low or high pressure caused by
the temperature of the air
• Dynamic: Low or high pressure caused by
the movement of air
The movement of air - wind
Pressure gradient force
• The horizontal difference in pressure is called the
pressure gradient.
• This difference in pressure causes pressure
gradient force and this causes air to move from the
area with HP to the area of LP
• The movement of air from a HP to a LP is
called gradient wind and move across the
isobars on a synoptic weather map
• The steeper the pressure gradient the
stronger the force and the quicker the air will
move from the HP to the LP
Areas where the isobars are close together
indicate a steep pressure gradient
Pressure gradient force is therefore a factor in:
• the initial cause of the wind
• the initial direction of the wind
• the speed of the wind
Gentle pressure gradient
Light wind
Steep pressure gradient
Strong wind
• Coriolisforce
This force is caused by the rotation of the
Earth, and causes the deflection of winds.
There is no Coriolis force between 5°N and
5°S.
The strength of Coriolis force is dependent
on the speed of the wind. As the wind
increases in speed, so the force becomes
stronger.
Ferrel’s law states that winds are deflected to their left
In the southern hemisphere and to their right
In the northern hemisphere
Friction
Friction caused by Earth’s surface
influence low-altitude winds by :
• Decreasing the speed of the wind
• Altering the direction of the wind
Pressure gradient • Causes the wind
Force • Influences the direction of
the wind
• Influences the speed of wind
Coriolis force • Influences the direction of the
wind
Friction • Influence the direction of wind
• Influence the speed of wind
• Pressure gradient force causes
the air to begin moving across
the isobars from a HP to a LP
•Coriolis force starts to deflect
the wind according to Ferrel’s
law.
Geostrophic air flow
• Occur in the upper atmosphere and over
oceans where air is not slowed by friction.
• Geostrophic winds blow parallel to the isobars
• There is no Coriolis force within 5°N en S of the
equator and as a result geostrophic wind are
not found here
• Geostrophic air flow causes the circulation
around HP and LP cells
• As deflection is to the wind’s left in the
southern hemisphere air circulates
clockwise around LP cells and anti-
clockwise around HP cell in southern
hemisphere
• The opposite happens in the Northern
hemisphere.
Differences between LP and HP cells
Low pressure cell High pressure cell
Causes • Warm light air rising • Cold dense air subside
• Air on the surface is •Air in the upper
converging and rising atmosphere is subsiding
and diverging
Air • Rising • Subsiding
movement • Converging • Diverging
• Clockwise circulation • Anti-clockwise
in S-hemisphere circulation in
• Anti-clockwise S-hemisphere
circulation in the • Clockwise circulation
N- hemisphere in the N-hemisphere
Low pressure cell High pressure cell
Weather • Rising air
cools • Subsiding air warms
adiabatically adiabatically
• Condensation • Evaporation of clouds
• Clouds and possibility • Fine and clear weather
of rain
Alternative • Cyclone • Anti-cyclone
names • Depression
Specific • Mid-latitude cyclone • Ridge or wedge of high
synoptic • Tropical cyclone pressure
features •Coastal low pressure
• Trough of low
pressure
Low pressure cell High pressure cell
Pressure • Often the pressure • The pressure gradient is
gradient and gradient is steep and not very steep and winds
isobars therefore the wind will not be too strong
will be strong • Isobars in a high
• Isobars in a low pressure cell are more
pressure cell are more oval in shape
circular in shape
Synoptic view
Cross-section
Adiabatically: This means that air
undergoes a change in temperature as a
result of a change in pressure.
• Rising air uses heat as the energy to
expand and rise, and therefore cools
according to the adiabatic lapse rate of 1°C
for every 100m of altitude
• Compression causes air that is subsiding
to warm at the dry adiabatic lapse rate
