Jet Stream

250 mb isotach

Main Upper Tropospheric Jets Closely Associated with the

Tropopause

Tropopause

Tropopause Height

http://www.atmos.washington.edu/~hakim/tropo/tropo.html

Subtropical Jet Stream

Subtropical Jet Stream Often Associated with a cloud band

• http://itg1.meteor.wisc.edu/wxwise/AckermanKnox/chap7/subtropical_jet.html

Jet Stream’s Relationship to Temperature Can Be Shown

through Thermal Wind Arguments

250 mb isotach

1000-500 mb thickness-large thickness gradient and thus thermal wind near jet core

Or alternatively…

The Jet Stream

Recall the horizontal temperature effectson the pressure:

500 mb

700 mb

850 mb

Warm Cold Psurface

The Jet StreamConsider the balance of forces at each level:

500 mb

700 mb

850 mb

Warm ColdPs

PGFCo

There are a variety of jet stream configurations that are well-

known