What is barotropic and baroclinic?

BAROTROPIC- Region of uniform temperature distribution; A lack of fronts. The tropical latitudes are barotropic. There are no fronts in the tropics. BAROCLINIC- Distinct air mass regions exist. Fronts separate warmer from colder air.

What is a baroclinic atmosphere?

An atmospheric state in which density depends upon both temperature and pressure and in which the geostrophic wind varies with height and is related to the horizontal temperature gradient via the thermal wind equation.

What is a baroclinic wave?

Baroclinic waves are one of a number of types of weather systems that develop spontaneously in response to instabilities in the large-scale flow pattern in which they are embedded. The low level flow in baroclinic waves is dominated by extratropical cyclones, an example of which is shown in Fig.

What is baroclinic instability in meteorology?

Baroclinic instability refers to a process by which perturbations draw energy from the mean flow potential energy. The conversions of energy are proportional to perturbation heat fluxes in both horizontal and vertical directions. Baroclinic instability can be viewed as a shear instability.

What do you mean by Barotropic flow?

A barotropic flow is a generalization of a barotropic atmosphere. It is a flow in which the pressure is a function of the density only and vice versa. In other words, it is a flow in which isobaric surfaces are isopycnic surfaces and vice versa.

What is conditionally unstable?

Conditional instability is a state of instability that depends upon whether or not the rising air is saturated. Conditional stability occurs when the environmental lapse rate is between the moist and dry adiabatic rates. The atmosphere is normally in a conditionally unstable state.

What is inertial instability?

(Also called dynamic instability.) Generally, instability in which the only form of energy transferred between the steady state and the disturbance is kinetic energy.

What are baroclinic eddies?

Baroclinic eddies in the Arctic Ocean☆ A typical eddy has a central core with a radius of about 6 km, which is in solid-body rotation. This core is surrounded by a region of large vorticity gradient. Such eddies are apparent in 1 3 − 1 2 of the available current records and hence represent a fairly common feature.

What is unstable atmosphere?

Air is considered unstable, in the lowest layers of an air mass when the air is warmer and or more humid than the surrounding air. When this occurs the air will rise, as that air parcel is warmer than the air surrounding it. In an unstable environment, the weather can change suddenly and can be violent.

What is the difference between barotropic and baroclinic waves?

When it is zero the flow is barotropic whereas if it is nonzero the flow is baroclinic. When applied to waves in the Ocean the result is that barotropic relates to waves propagating at the ocean surface. Baroclinic relates to waves propagating along density surfaces in the interior of the ocean (or internal waves).

What is the difference between barotropic and Tropic?

Part of the word barotropic is tropic. The tropical latitudes are barotropic. There are no fronts in the tropics. BAROCLINIC- Distinct air mass regions exist. Fronts separate warmer from colder air.

What is baroclinic condition of atmosphere?

Baroclinic condition of atmosphere is seen in comparatively narrow zones (perhaps 1000Km. in width) of thermal discontinuity also known as fronts in air mass property. They are belts of sharp meteorological gradient recognized as distinct factors in the origin of mid-latitude disturbances.

What type of atmosphere is a barotropic atmosphere?

Everyday being about the same (hot and humid with no cold fronts to cool things off) would be a barotropic type atmosphere. Part of the word barotropic is tropic. The tropical latitudes are barotropic. There are no fronts in the tropics.