Pressure & Wind

Pressure & Wind
• High & Low pressure area.

• Motion of the atmosphere, pressure gradient.
• Vertical & Horizontal motion, convergence &
divergence.
• Surface & geostrophic wind.
• Effect of wind gradient & wind shear on take off &
Landing.
• Relationship betweenisobars & wind,Buy’s Ballots
law.
• Turbulence & Gustiness.
• Local winds, fohn, land & sea breezez.
High & Low
Winds
• Def: Wind is defined as horizontal flow of air.
• Role of wind:
– Wind moves excess heat from the tropics toward
the poles
– Wind moves water vapor from ocean to land
– Winds move ocean currents
– Wind creates waves on the ocean and other water
bodies
Motion of the atmosphere
• This is having two components:

• (1) Horizontal Movement- Wind , the result of many
forces principally Pressure Gradient & geostophic, or
coriolis forces.
• (2) Vertical Movement – Turbulence, Convection,
Mountain Wave etc, the result of gravity & buoyancy
Vertical Movement of Air
Convergence & Divergence
Veering and Backing winds
• A wind is said to ‘veer’ when its direction
changes in a clockwise dir with height. Veering of
wind is associated with good or fair wx.
• A wind is said to ‘back’ when its direction

changes in an anti-clockwise dir with height.
Backing of wind is associated with bad wx.
Veering and Backing
Causes of Wind
• Pressure gradient force
• The Coriolis force
• Frictional force
Pressure Gradient Force (PGF)
A pressure gradient force is the rate of change of pressure in the
horizontal plane and is measured perpendicular to the isobar
towards low pressure. The stronger the pressure gradient, the
stronger is the wind speed.
Coriolis Force
The deflecting force which is produced due to the rotation of
the earth and acts on a moving particle and deflects the
moving particles to the right in the Northern hemisphere and
to the left in the Southern hemisphere
At a given latitude it is proportional to the wind speed.
The mathematical deduction for CF is: f = 2Vsin
where V is the wind velocity. CF is maximum at the poles
and minimum at the equator.
In NH In SH
Types of Winds
• Geostrophic Wind:
Balance of PGF and CF
• Gradient Wind:
Balance of PGF, Centrifugal Force and CF
• Cyclostrophic Wind:
Balance of Centrifugal Force and PGF
• Thermal Wind:
Vector Difference between two Geostrophic Winds
{The change in the geostrophic wind with height is
known as the thermal wind (VT)}.
Relationship between isobars & wind
Relationship between isobars & wind
Gradient Wind
Cyclostrophic Wind
Geostrophic wind
The geostrophic wind is the
wind which blows when CF
is balanced by the PGF. This
balance can only occur when
it is not affected by other
forces and therefore the
geostrophic wind can only
blow above the friction layer
at about 2-3000 ft and above.
Measuring Geostrophic wind: As CF = 2ΩρV Sinθ
or V = CF/ 2ΩρSinθ. If CF =PGF, then V = PGF/2ΩρSinθ.
Therefore, the Geostrophic wind speed is directly proportional to the
PFG. For a particular PG value, the geostrophic wind speed will
increases as latitude decreases.
Diurnal Variation of Surface Wind
Day Night
Increases Decreases
Surface Veers Backs
Decreases Increases
1500 ft Backs Veers
Thermal wind
Ageostrophic Wind
Buys Ballot’s Law
If an observer stands with his back to the wind then in NH

high pressure is on his right and low pressure on his left
Global Pressure Belts
• The Low Pressure Area over the Equator or the
‘Doldrums’ Belt (At and around Equator)
• Sub-Tropical High Pressure Area (Near 300 latitudes)
• Sub-Polar Low Pressure Area (Near 600 latitudes)
• Polar High Pressure Area

General global circulation
Global Pressure Belts
Three-Cell Theory of Circulation
Global or General Circulation
• Northeast (NE) and Southeast (SE) Trade Wind
• Sub-Tropical Westerlies or Prevailing Westerlies
• Polar Easterlies
Global or General Circulation
Association of Wind Shear
• Wind shear is usually associated with one of the

following weather phenomena:
• Frontal surfaces;
• Jet streams;
• Thunderstorms or convective clouds especially
cumulonimbus or towering cumulus;
• Mountain Waves;
• Microbursts.
LLWS
Low-level wind shear, which may be associated
with a frontal surface, with thunderstorms or
convective clouds, or with microbursts, is
particularly hazardous to aircraft departing or
arriving at an aerodrome
Effects of Wind Shear
• The main effects of wind shear are:
• Turbulence;
• Violent air movement (up- or down-draughts or
swirling or rotating air patterns);
• Sudden increase or reduction of airspeed;
• Sudden increase or decrease of groundspeed
and/or drift.
Turbulence
Turbulence is caused by irregular motion of air. It
brings about rapid bumps or jolts to an aircraft. In
severe cases, the aircraft might go momentarily
out of control. Turbulence usually occurs in areas
where air masses with different speed, direction or
temperature meet each other.
Causes of Turbulence
• Vertically moving air in convective current.

• Air moving in or around mountains & other
obstructions.
• Wind Shear.
• Frontal Turbulence.
Effect of Turbulence
• Loss of Control
• Structural damage
• Fatigue to Pilot & Px.
• Increase stalling speed.
• For HEL in mountain area- effect on retreating-
blade stall speed.
Gust & Squall
• Gust - A rapid increase in the strength of the wind relative to
the mean strength at the time of observation & lasts for few
seconds (around 20 sec.)
• Squall – As per WMO squall is sudden increase of wind speed

by at least 16 kts, the speed rising to 22 kts & lasting for at
least one minute.
• Lull wind- A marked decrease in the wind speed.
NB: Surface wind is measured 33 ft/10 m agl.

Anabatic & Katabatic Wind
Valley and Mountain Wind
The direction of sea breeze is more or less right angles to the
coast, but after some time it will veer under the influence of CF in
NH and back in SH.
Local Wind
• Bora- A cold, northerly wind blows from the
Hungarian basin into the Adriatic Sea.
• Chinook- A warm, westerly wind found in
western North America – Canada and the USA,
when air from the Pacific blows over the Rocky
Mountains and other upland areas. Also known
as the Snow Eater.
• Mistral- A cold, dry wind blows from the north
over the northwest coast of the Mediterranean
Sea, particularly over the Gulf of Lions.
Local Wind
• Foehn- A warm dry wind on the lee side of a
mountain range, whose temp is increased as the
wind descends down the slope. It is created
when air flows downhill from a high elevation,
raising the temp by adiabatic compression.
• Harmattan- The dry, dusty trade wind blows off

the Sahara Desert across the Gulf of Guinea
and the Cape Verde Islands. Sometimes called
the DOCTOR, because of its supposed healthful
properties.
Local Wind
• Shamal- A summer northwesterly wind blows over Iraq
and the Persian Gulf, often strong during the day, but
decreasing at night.
• Sirocco- A warm wind of the Mediterranean area, either a
foehn or a hot southerly wind in advance of a low
pressure area moves from the Sahara or Arabian deserts.
• The Khamsin-A hot, dry, dust-laden, southerly wind over
Egypt, the Red Sea and eastern parts of the
Mediterranean Sea ahead of eastward-moving
depressions. It occurs during the period February to June,
being most frequent in March and April.

Pressure & Wind

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Pressure & Wind

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Pressure & Wind

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Pressure & Wind

• High & Low pressure area.

• This is having two components:

• A wind is said to ‘back’ when its direction

• Pressure gradient force

• The Coriolis force

If an observer stands with his back to the wind then in NH

• Sub-Tropical High Pressure Area (Near 300 latitudes)

• Sub-Polar Low Pressure Area (Near 600 latitudes)

• Polar High Pressure Area

• Northeast (NE) and Southeast (SE) Trade Wind

• Sub-Tropical Westerlies or Prevailing Westerlies

• Wind shear is usually associated with one of the

• Vertically moving air in convective current.

• Squall – As per WMO squall is sudden increase of wind speed

• Lull wind- A marked decrease in the wind speed.

NB: Surface wind is measured 33 ft/10 m agl.

• Harmattan- The dry, dusty trade wind blows off

You might also like