Summertime along-valley wind variations in the wright valley Antarctica

✍ Scribed by Ian G. McKendry; Errol W. D. Lewthwaite

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1992
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 686 KB
• Volume: 12
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0899-8418
• DOI: 10.1002/joc.3370120605

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Observations from several sites are utilized to investigate spatial and temporal variations in the local wind regime. The average condition consists of a tongue of easterly up‐valley winds extending the length of the valley. About 23 per cent of the time this tongue is pushed down‐valley beyond the western edge of Lake Vanda by westerly downslope winds. These winds seldom penetrate to the mouth of the valley and instead, a ‘front’ is formed between the up‐valley and down‐valley flows. Migration of the front appears to be related to synoptic controls rather than local thermal forcing. Support is provided for the view that the westerlies are episodic downslope winds associated with the deflection of strong upper level flow into the valley system. Superimposed on this broad pattern are diurnal variations in the strength of valley winds associated with changing stability.