Associations to the word «Geostrophic»

GEOSTROPHIC, adjective. (meteorology) Relating to the balance, in the atmosphere, between the horizontal Coriolis forces and the horizontal pressure forces.

GEOSTROPHIC, adjective. (meteorology) Relating to or arising from the deflective force exerted on the atmosphere due to the rotation of the earth.

GEOSTROPHIC WIND, noun. (meteorology) A wind whose direction and speed are determined by a balance of the horizontal pressure gradient force and the force due to the earth's rotation to the left in the northern hemisphere and to the right in the southern hemisphere.

GEOSTROPHIC WIND, noun. (meteorology) That horizontal wind velocity for which the Coriolis force exactly balances the horizontal pressure gradient force. The geostrophic wind is thus directed along the contour lines on a constant-pressure surface (or along the isobars in a geopotential surface) with low elevations (or low pressure) to the left in the northern hemisphere and to the right in the southern hemisphere.

GEOSTROPHIC WIND LEVEL, noun. (meteorology) The lowest level at which the wind becomes geostrophic. In practice, the geostrophic wind level is between 1.2 kilometers (3,928 feet) and 1.6 kilometers (5,238 feet). This wind level probably marks the upper limit of frictional influence of the earth's surface. The geostrophic wind level may be considered to be the top of the planetary boundary layer, that is, the base of the free atmosphere.