Jet streams are narrow bands of fast-moving air high in the atmosphere. They influence weather systems and help determine how long aircraft take to travel between places. This lesson introduces their defining features, major locations, and changing shapes.
A jet stream is a narrow, fast-flowing current of air in the atmosphere. The main terrestrial jet streams are found near the tropopause, the boundary between the troposphere and stratosphere. They are generally westerly winds, meaning they flow from west to east.
All flashcards
What is a teleconnection in atmospheric science?
A relationship in which atmospheric changes in one region are linked to conditions far away.
What is hydrostatic balance?
A vertical balance in the atmosphere between gravity and upward pressure and buoyancy forces.
What does the thermal wind relation describe?
How the vertical change in horizontal wind relates to the horizontal temperature gradient.
What is a valley-exit jet?
A strong, elevated down-valley wind that emerges above where a valley opens onto a plain.
What is the polar-night jet?
A wintertime, high-altitude eastward flow that circles the polar vortex.
Quiz questions
How does poleward-moving air help form the subtropical jet?Answer: It conserves angular momentum aloft, and Earth's rotation strengthens its eastward flow.
During El Niño, what is a common tendency of the polar jet over parts of North America?Answer: It is often stronger and displaced farther south.
Where is clear-air turbulence often strongest in relation to a jet stream?Answer: On the cold-air side, next to and just below the jet axis.
Which description fits the African easterly jet?Answer: A mid-level summer wind over the Sahel that helps shape monsoon flows and tropical waves.
What were Japan's Fu-Go balloons designed to use the Pacific jet stream for?Answer: Carrying them across the ocean toward Canada and the United States.
Based on the Wikipedia article Jet stream, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.