What is zonal flow in meteorology?
(Also called zonal circulation.) In meteorology, the flow of air along a latitude circle; more specifically, the latitudinal (east or west) component of existing flow.
What is a zonal wind?
Zonal winds are winds circulating at the same latitude, parallel to the equator, thermalizing the atmosphere longitudinally.
What is zonal and meridional wind?
When the upper level winds are parallel or nearly parallel to the lines of latitude the wind pattern is termed zonal. When the winds cross the latitude lines at a sharp angle, the wind pattern is termed meridional. Low pressure systems tend to move faster (west to east) when associated with a zonal flow.
What is zonal air flow?
Zonal flow (or zonal wind) is air circulation parallel to the equator and latitudes, i.e., east-to-west or west-to-east. This type of circulation promotes stable temperatures along latitudes. Conversely, north-to-south or south-to-north air flow is termed meridional flow.
What is zonal jet?
Zonal jets play a prominent role in large-scale circulations of planetary atmospheres and oceans. They are most familiar as the “sub-tropical jet stream” in the Earth’s atmosphere and as a stable system of zonal (east-west) bands on the Jovian disk formed by the advected clouds.
What is turbulent wind?
Wind turbulence generally refers to rapid fluctuations in wind velocity. This is more generally thought of as the changes in wind speed and direction resulting from impediment from hills, mountains, forests, and buildings.
What is meant by meridional and zonal flow in the atmosphere?
Zonal flow is defined as west to east or east to west, while meridional flow indicates north-to-south or south-to-north air motion. Zonal flow is typically associated with relatively weak troughs and ridges, and thus relatively quiet weather.
How do zonal jets form?
jet results from Rossby-wave generation by baroclinic instabilities in the midlatitudes. As the Rossby waves propagate north and south away from the latitude of wave generation, they transport momentum back into that region, driving the jet.
Why do rivers swirl?
Fluid behind the obstacle flows into the void creating a swirl of fluid on each edge of the obstacle, followed by a short reverse flow of fluid behind the obstacle flowing upstream, toward the back of the obstacle. This phenomenon is naturally observed behind large emergent rocks in swift-flowing rivers.
How are zonal flow and Zonal average temperature related?
These terms are often used in the atmospheric and earth sciences to describe global phenomena, such as “meridional wind”, or “zonal average temperature”. In the context of physics, zonal flow connotes a tendency of flux to conform to a pattern parallel to the equator of a sphere.
Which is a zonal region on the globe?
A zonal region on the globe Zonal and meridional flow are directions and regions of fluid flow on a globe. Zonal flow follows a pattern along latitudinal lines, latitudinal circles or in the west–east direction.
Where does zonal and meridional flow take place?
Zonal and meridional flow are directions and regions of fluid flow on a globe . Zonal flow follows a pattern along latitudinal lines, latitudinal circles or in the west–east direction.
How is the zonal wind different from the meridional wind?
The wind, or wind component, along the local parallel of latitude, as distinguished from the meridional wind. In a horizontal coordinate systemfixed locally with the xaxis directed eastward and the yaxis directed northward, the zonal wind is positive if it blows from the west and negative if from the east.
