Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 10.39
Annual course of (A) mean monthly air temperature (°C) and (B) wind speed (m s
-1
) for 1980 to 1989 at Dome C
(3280 m), 74.5°S, 123.0°E (plateau) and D-10, an automatic weather station at 240 m, 66.7°S, 139.8°E (coast).
Source
: Stearns
et al
. (1993), by permission of the American Meteorological Society.
Antarctic Plateau and outward flow over the ice sheet
surface. The winds represent a balance between gravi-
tational acceleration, Coriolis force (acting to the left),
friction and inversion strength. On the slopes of the ice
sheet, there are stronger downslope katabatic flows, and
extreme speeds are observed in some coastal locations.
Cape Denison (67°S, 143°E), Adelie Land, recorded
average daily wind speeds of >18 m s
-1
on over 60 per
cent of days in 1912 to 1913.
SUMMARY
Seasonal changes in the Icelandic low and the
Azores high, together with variations in cyclone activity,
control the climate of western Europe. The eastward
penetration of maritime influences related to these
atmospheric processes, and to the warm waters of the
North Atlantic current, is illustrated by mild winters,
the seasonality of precipitation regimes and indices
of continentality. Topographic effects on precipitation,
snowfall, length of growing seasons and local winds are
particularly marked over the Scandinavian mountains,
the Scottish Highlands and the Alps. Weather types
in the British Isles may be described in terms of
seven basic airflow patterns, the frequency and effects
of which vary considerably with season. Recurrent
weather spells about a particular date (singularities),
Figure 10.40
Southern hemisphere cyclone paths affecting
Antarctica and major frontal zones in winter. 1 Polar front;
2 Antarctic front; 3 Cyclone trajectories.
Source
: Carleton (1987), copyright © Chapman and Hall, New York.
Reproduced by permission.
