Test #1 Flashcards
Waves
Information flows through the medium by RADIATION.
Particles (vortices)
Information flows through the medium by MATERIAL TRANSPORT.
Mesoscale
The scale for which both ageostrophic advection and Coriolis parameter f are important - which is smaller than the Rossby radius of deformation.
Internally generated circulations
Fronts and jet streaks, instabilities, gravity waves, quasi-stationary convective events, convection in hurricanes.
Mesoscale convective systems
Isolated convective storms, squall lines and rainbands, mesoscale convective complexes, tornadoes.
Externally forced circulations
Upslope precipitation events, mountain waves, lee cyclogenesis, differential terrain heating, drylines.
Mesoscale-alpha
200-2000km, 6 hours to 2 days, jet stream, small hurricanes, weak anticyclones.
Mesoscale-beta
20-200km, 30 minutes to 6 hours, local wind fields, mountain winds, land/sea breeze, mesoscale convective complexes (MCCs), large thunderstorms.`
Mesoscale-gamma
2-20km, 3-30 minutes, most thunderstorms, large cumulus, extremely large tornadoes.
Hydrostatic equilibrium
The vertical PGF and gravity are approximately balanced.
Rossby number
A measure of the validity of the geostrophic approximation. Ratio of the acceleration to the Coriolis force.
Meso-beta scale flows
Quasi-2D, nearly hydrostatic, Coriolis non-negligible
Meso-gamma scale flows
3D, non-hydrostatic, ageostrophic and the Coriolis force is negligible.
Fr
Gravity wave phase speed exceeds flow speed, subcritical flow.
Fr > 1
Flow speed is greater than gravity wave propagation speed, supercritical flow.
