ATM OCN (Meteorology) 100

WIND:
PART II - THEORY & FUNDAMENTAL FORCES

Summer 2004

Lecture #14 Scheduled for:

8 JUL 2004 (R)

pages 172-178.

Today's Lecture Objectives:

To briefly describe Newton's three laws of motion.
To describe the relationship between the observed winds and the horizontal atmospheric pressure field pattern, relating the spacing of isobars to the speed of wind.
To identify the various forces that could act upon an air parcel to initiate, maintain and modify atmospheric motion.
To explain why gravity only influences vertical motion and not horizontal motion of air.
To describe the factors that influence the magnitude and direction of the pressure gradient force and its components - the horizontal and vertical pressure gradient force.
To describe the influence of the Coriolis effect upon free-moving objects or fluids and list two factors that influence the magnitude of this effect.
To describe the effect of friction upon the speed and direction of the horizontal surface winds and identify two factors influencing the magnitude of the friction force.
To distinguish between centripetal force and centrifugal force and describe the factors that influence the magnitude and direction of the centripetal force.

Outline:

Series continues from THE THEORY OF WINDS: PART I - OBSERVATIONS & SCALES of MOTION

A. INTRODUCTION

B. CONCEPTS OF THE WIND - EXPLANATIONS OF ATMOSPHERIC MOTION

Practical Problems
Historical Concepts
The Forces of Motion & Newton's Laws
Implications of the Newtonian Laws
Vectors, Forces and Units

B. FORCES ASSOCIATED WITH ATMOSPHERIC MOTION

Reasons for Atmospheric Motions
Complications involved with Atmospheric Motion
Three Dimensional Equation of Motion for the Atmosphere
The Forces

Pressure Gradient Force
Gravitational Force or Gravity
Coriolis Effect or "Force"
Frictional Force or Friction
Centripetal Force

Summarizing

Series continues as THE THEORY OF WINDS PART III - RESULTANT ATMOSPHERIC MOTIONS

Links to Other References:

The Forces & Wind module from Weather World 2010 (Univ. of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign). Check the mpg file that shows apparent motion on a rotating turntable (to simulate the Coriolis effect).

Latest revision: 26 July 2004 (0320 UTC)

Produced by Edward J. Hopkins, Ph.D.

Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences

University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI 53706

hopkins@meteor.wisc.edu

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