Low-pressure area

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The letter L represents a surface low pressure system.

A low pressure area, or "low", is a region where the atmospheric pressure is lower in relation to the surrounding area. Low pressure systems form under areas of upper level divergence on the east side of upper troughs, or due to localized heating caused by greater insolation or active thunderstorm activity. Those that form due to organized thunderstorm activity over the water which acquire a well-defined circulation are called tropical cyclones. They are most frequently located over the Tibetan Plateau and in the lee of the Rocky mountains. In Europe (particularly in the United Kingdom), recurring low pressure weather systems are typically known as depressions. Lows are frequently associated with atmospheric lift. This lift will generally produce cloud cover through adiabatic cooling, once the air becomes saturated as it rises. Thus, low pressure typically brings cloudy or overcast skies, which may minimize diurnal temperature extremes in both summer and winter. Since the clouds reflect sunlight, incoming shortwave solar radiation is less which causes lower temperatures during the day. At night, the absorptive effect of clouds on outgoing longwave radiation, such as heat energy from the surface, allows for warmer diurnal low temperatures in all seasons. The stronger the area of low pressure, the stronger the winds that are experienced in its vicinity.

Contents

[edit] Formation

A large low-pressure system swirls off the southwestern coast of Iceland.
Main article: Cyclogenesis

Cyclogenesis is the development or strengthening of cyclonic circulation in the atmosphere (a low pressure area).[1] Cyclogenesis is an umbrella term for several different processes, all of which result in the development of some sort of cyclone. It can occur at various scales, from the microscale to the synoptic scale. Extratropical cyclones form as waves along weather fronts due to a passing by shortwave aloft or upper level jet streak before occluding later in their life cycle as cold core cyclones.[2][3][4] [5] Tropical cyclones form due to latent heat driven by significant thunderstorm activity, and are warm core with well-defined circulations.[6] Mesocyclones form as warm core cyclones over land, and can lead to tornado formation.[7] Waterspouts can also form from mesocyclones, but more often develop from environments of high instability and low vertical wind shear.[8] In deserts, lack of ground and plant moisture that would normally provide evaporative cooling can lead to intense, rapid solar heating of the lower layers of air. The hot air is less dense than surrounding cooler air. This, combined with the rising of the hot air, results in a low pressure area called a thermal low.[9] Cyclogenesis is the opposite of cyclolysis, and has an anticyclonic (high pressure system) equivalent which deals with the formation of high pressure areas—Anticyclogenesis.[10]

[edit] Climatology

The Hadley cell carries heat and moisture from the tropics to the northern and southern mid-latitudes.

The large polar cyclone helps determine the steering of systems moving through the mid-latitudes, south of the Arctic. An index which is used to gage the magnitude of this effect is the Arctic oscillation.[11] Extratropical cyclones tend to form east of climatological trough positions aloft near the east coast of continents, or west side of oceans.[12] In Europe, particularly the United Kingdom, recurring extratropical low pressure weather systems are typically known as depressions.[13] These tend to bring wet weather throughout the year. Thermal lows also occur over continental areas across the subtropics during the summer such as the Sonoran Desert, the Mexican plateau, Sahara, South America, and Southeast Asia.[9] The lows are most commonly located over the Tibetan plateau and in the lee of the Rocky mountains.[12] Elongated areas of low pressure form at the monsoon trough or Intertropical convergence zone as part of the Hadley cell circulation.[14] Many of the world's rainforests are associated with these climatological low pressure systems.[15]

[edit] Associated weather

See also: Geostrophic wind and Precipitation (meteorology)

Wind flows from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure.[16] This is due to density differences between the two air masses. Since stronger high pressure systems contain cooler or drier air, the air mass is more dense and flows towards areas that are warm or moist, which are in the vicinity of low pressure areas in advance of their associated cold fronts. The stronger the pressure difference, or pressure gradient, between a high pressure system and a low pressure system, the stronger the wind.[17] Thus, stronger areas of low pressure are associated with stronger winds.

The coriolis force caused by the Earth's rotation is what gives winds within low pressure systems their counterclockwise circulation in the northern hemisphere (as the wind moves inward and is deflected right from the center of high pressure) and clockwise circulation in the southern hemisphere (as the wind moves inward and is deflected left from the center of high pressure). Friction with land slows down the wind flowing into high pressure systems and causes wind to flow more inward, or flowing more ageostrophically, toward their centers.[17] A low pressure area is commonly associated with inclement weather,[18] while high pressure area is associated with light winds and fair skies.[19]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Arctic Climatology and Meteorology (2009). Cyclogenesis. National Snow and Ice Data Center. Retrieved on 2009-02-21.
  2. ^ Glossary of Meteorology (2009). Short Wave. American Meteorological Society. Retrieved on 2009-03-02.
  3. ^ Glossary of Meteorology (2009). Upper-Level Trough. American Meteorological Society. Retrieved on 2009-03-02.
  4. ^ Carlyle H. Wash, Stacey H. Heikkinen, Chi-Sann Liou, and Wendell A. Nuss (1989). A Rapid Cyclogenesis Event during GALE IOP 9. Monthly Weather Review pp. 234–257. Retrieved on 2008-06-28.
  5. ^ Shaye Johnson (2001-09-25). "The Norwegian Cyclone Model". University of Oklahoma, School of Meteorology. http://weather.ou.edu/~metr4424/Files/Norwegian_Cyclone_Model.pdf#search=%22norwegian%20cyclone%20model%22. Retrieved on 2006-10-11. 
  6. ^ Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, Hurricane Research Division (2004). "Frequently Asked Questions: What is an extra-tropical cyclone?". NOAA. http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/tcfaq/A7.html. Retrieved on 2007-03-23. 
  7. ^ Glossary of Meteorology (2009). "Mesocyclone". American Meteorological Society. http://amsglossary.allenpress.com/glossary/search?id=mesocyclone1. Retrieved on 2006-12-07. 
  8. ^ Choy, Barry K.; Scott M. Spratt. "Using the WSR-88D to Predict East Central Florida Waterspouts". NOAA. http://www.srh.noaa.gov/mlb/spoutpre.html. Retrieved on 2006-10-25. 
  9. ^ a b Glossary of Meteorology (2009). Thermal Low. American Meteorological Society. Retrieved on 2009-03-02.
  10. ^ Glossary of Meteorology (2009). "Cyclogenesis". American Meteorological Society. http://amsglossary.allenpress.com/glossary/search?p=1&query=cyclogenesis. Retrieved on 2009-02-21. 
  11. ^ Todd Mitchell (2004). Arctic Oscillation (AO) time series, 1899 - June 2002. University of Washington. Retrieved on 2009-03-02.
  12. ^ a b L. de la Torre, Nieto R., Noguerol M., Añel J.A., Gimeno L. (2008). A climatology based on reanalysis of baroclinic developmental regions in the extratropical northern hemisphere. Ann New York Academy of Science;vol. 1146: pp. 235-255. Retrieved on 2009-03-02.
  13. ^ Met Office (2009). Frontal Depressions. Retrieved on 2009-03-02.
  14. ^ Becca Hatheway (2008). Hadley Cell. University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. Retrieved on 2009-02-16.
  15. ^ Hobgood (2008). Global Pattern of Surface Pressure and Wind. Ohio State University. Retrieved on 2009-03-08.
  16. ^ BWEA (2007). Education and Careers: What is wind? British Wind Energy Association. Retrieved on 2009-02-16.
  17. ^ a b JetStream (2008). Origin of Wind. National Weather Service Southern Region Headquarters. Retrieved on 2009-02-16.
  18. ^ Glossary of Meteorology (2009). Cyclone. American Meteorological Society. Retrieved on 2009-03-02.
  19. ^ Jack Williams (2007). What's happening inside highs and lows. USA Today. Retrieved on 2009-02-16.
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