Near-surface wind converging into a low-pressure system.

Keywords

Share | Cancel

Revoke | Cancel

Rate & Certify

Rate Me

Comment

Save | Cancel

Flag Inappropriate

Delete Content

Near-surface wind converging into a low-pressure system.

Near-surface wind converging into a low-pressure system. A modest friction force allows the velocity to have an inward component rather than being geostrophic, and the resultant of all forces is nonzero and toward the centre of the storm, causing wind to spiral. The wind speeds up during the air’s inward spiral, especially in a tropical cyclone (pictured).

This image is linked to the following Scitable pages:

Where Do Winds Come From?

How winds finally end up blowing the way they do results from a fascinating interplay of different forces, each acting on different length and time scales.