Scribd
Upload
0 views

Local Winds

The document discusses local winds, specifically sea and land breezes, which are thermally driven winds resulting from temperature differences between land and water. It also covers various mountain wind systems, including katabatic and anabatic winds, as well as slope and valley winds, highlighting their formation and characteristics. Additionally, it mentions Foehn winds that occur on the lee side of mountains, particularly during winter.

Uploaded by

megh11tej
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
0 views

Local Winds

The document discusses local winds, specifically sea and land breezes, which are thermally driven winds resulting from temperature differences between land and water. It also covers various mountain wind systems, including katabatic and anabatic winds, as well as slope and valley winds, highlighting their formation and characteristics. Additionally, it mentions Foehn winds that occur on the lee side of mountains, particularly during winter.

Uploaded by

megh11tej
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 24

LOCAL WINDS

Sea breezes occur during the daytime


when the land heats up more rapidly
than the adjacent water bodies. As
warm air over the land rises, cooler
air from the sea rushes in to replace
it, creating a breeze blowing from the
sea towards the land. Sea breezes are
most pronounced during the summer
months and can bring relief from hot
temperatures near coastal areas.
SEA BREEZE

980 mb
990 mb
1000 mb
Land breezes typically occur at night when the
land cools down faster than the adjacent
water bodies. As a result, the air above the
land becomes cooler and denser than the air
over the warmer water. This temperature
difference causes a breeze to blow from the
land towards the sea, opposite to the
direction of sea breezes. Land breezes are
common in coastal regions during the late
evening and early morning hours.
LAND BREEZE
The sea-breeze is an example of a

diurnal wind
• Produced by horizontal temperature differences (and
resulting horizontal pressure differences)
• Circulations are closed by return circulations aloft.
• Characterized by a reversal of wind direction twice per day
• strongest with clear skies when winds aloft are weak

This type of winds is ‘thermally driven’, hence also called


thermally-driven winds
Other examples?
Diurnal mountain winds develop over complex
mountainous terrain of all scales
Thermally driven mountain wind systems

• Four wind systems are found over mountain terrain:

– Slope wind system (upslope and downslope winds)


– Along-valley wind system (up-valley and down-valley winds)
– Cross-valley wind system (from the cold to warm slope)
– Mountain-plain wind system (plain-mtn and mtn-plain winds)
Katabatic Winds
Katabatic winds are downslope winds that
occur when cold, dense air accumulates on
elevated terrain, Gravity pulls this dense air
downhill, accelerating its descent. These
winds can be quite strong and are commonly
observed in polar and mountainous regions.
The term "katabatic" comes from the Greek
word "katabasis," meaning descent or
flowing downward.
Anabatic Winds
Anabatic wind occurs in mountainous
regions where temperature differences
between valleys and surrounding slopes
lead to the formation of winds. During the
day, the sun heats up the valley slopes more
than the valley floor. Thus, relatively cold air
subsides into the valley, temperature
contrast causes warm air to rise along the
slopes.
Wind Terminology

(anabatic wind) (katabatic wind)


Thermally driven mountain wind systems
Slope flows
Slope winds

• Caused by differences in temperature between air heated or cooled


over the mountain slopes and air at the same altitude over the valley
center

• Difficult to find in a pure form. Affected by along-valley wind system,


weather (radiation budget, ambient flows), changing topography or
surface cover

• Best-developed in clear, undisturbed weather


Slope flow intermittency
Valley Winds

• Caused by the stronger heating and cooling of the


valley atmosphere as compared to the adjacent plain

• Air currents trying to equalize horizontal pressure


gradients built up hydrostatically between valley and
plain

• Best-developed in clear undisturbed weather


Air volume is smaller in valley x-section than in a
plains x-section, for the same area at the top
Along-valley
flows
Foehn winds of the intermountain west

• Form on the lee side of high-


relief mountain barriers when
a stable air mass is carried
across the mountains by
strong cross-barrier winds
that increase in strength with
height.
• Occur primarily in winter
• Are associated with large
amplitude lee waves
Chinook/Foehn wall
Chinook wall cloud

You might also like