ESS124
Prof. Jin-Yi Yu
•Pressure Gradients
–The pressure gradient force initiates movement of
atmospheric mass, wind, from areas of higher to areas of lower
pressure
•Horizontal Pressure Gradients
–Typically only small gradients exist across large
spatial scales (1mb/100km)
–Smaller scale weather features, such as hurricanes
and tornadoes, display larger pressure gradients across small
areas (1mb/6km)
•Vertical Pressure Gradients
–Average vertical pressure gradients are
usually greater than extreme examples of
horizontal pressure gradients as pressure always
decreases with altitude (1mb/10m)
Pressure Gradients