Dynamical aspects of some simple frontal models

✍ Scribed by J. S. Sawyer

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1952
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 455 KB
• Volume: 78
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0035-9009
• DOI: 10.1002/qj.49707833605

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

The dynamics of the motion at an idealized frontal surface are considered theoretically. For this purpose the front is treated as a simple discontinuity of density, but it is assumed that horizontal and vertical gradients of temperature and wind may exist within the air masses. It is shown that at a front of this character between two non‐homogeneous air masses there must be a discontinuity of vertical velocity at the frontal surface, i.e., there must be up‐sliding or down‐sliding. The discontinuity in vertical velocity is related to the gradients of wind in the two air masses and is shown to be of a similar magnitude (or only slightly smaller) than the vertical velocities believed to occur in frontal regions.