Transcript Thermal Circulation

Thermal Circulation
By
Dr. Robert M MacKay
Clark College Physics & Meteorology
A tale of two identical cities
The air above City 1 cools and that above
City 2 warms
Air pressure aloft is High above City 2
Winds aloft blow from city 2 to city 1.
Examples of Thermal
Circulations
Sea Breeze during the day
Land Breeze at night
Very dry
South East Asian Monsoon
Very wet
South East Asian Monsoon
Mountain or Valley breeze??
Upward motion of Valley breeze made visible by clouds
Sea breeze convergence zone in Florida giving
rise to very frequent thunderstorms. Florida
has more thunderstorms each year than
anywhere else in the US.
Stepped Art
Fig. 9-25, p. 241
Local Winds
• Santa Anna Winds
– Warm dry that blows from east or northeast
don canyons into S. California
– Very fast, desiccates vegetation, providing
fuel for fires
• Desert winds
– Dust storms, sand storms, dust devil, haboob