Jet streams drive weather systems worldwide and the UK has some of the most variable weather due to its location under a jet stream. But what are jet streams and how do they form?
A jet stream is defined as a narrow zone of high-speed winds. They can extend several thousand miles long.
Jet streams are typically found about 30,000 feet up in the atmosphere and are formed through significant temperature differences between conflicting air masses.
The ribbons of strong winds influence global weather patterns and their positioning helps meteorologists to forecast the weather.
With speeds of up to 200 miles per hour, jet streams are also important to pilots because flight time and fuel consumption can be affected greatly by flying either with or against them.
So, if on your travels, you've ever felt that your return flight seemed quicker than on the way out - your pilot could well have flown within a jet stream.
Jet streams flow from west to east in the upper portion of the troposphere.
Jet streams are caused by a combination of a planet's rotation on its axis and atmospheric heating (by solar radiation and, on some planets other than Earth, internal heat). Jet streams form near boundaries of adjacent air masses with significant differences in temperature, such as the polar region and the warmer air towards the equator.
Other jet streams also exist. During the Northern Hemisphere summer, easterly jets can form in tropical regions, typically in a region where dry air encounters more humid air at high altitudes. Low-level jets also are typical of various regions such as the central United States.
Meteorologists use the location of some of the jet streams as an aid in weather forecasting. The main commercial relevance of the jet streams is in air travel, as flight time can be dramatically affected by either flying with the flow or against the flow of a jet stream. Clear-air turbulence, a potential hazard to aircraft passenger safety, is often found in a jet stream's vicinity, but it does not create a substantial alteration on flight times.
in Wikipedia
Wow, wonderful weblog layout! How lengthy have you ever been running a blog for?
ReplyDeleteyou made blogging look easy. The full look of your web site is great, let alone the content material!
Here is my blog post: minecraft download
I think this is among the most important info for me.
ReplyDeleteAnd i am glad reading your article. But should remark on few general things, The web site style is perfect,
the articles is really great : D. Good job, cheers
Feel free to surf to my page: EsterWParadowski
We're a group of volunteers and opening a new scheme in our
ReplyDeletecommunity. Your web site provided us with valuable info to work on. You've done an impressive job and our entire community will be thankful
to you.
Here is my web-site ... KendrickLShere