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This cooler air layer then flows down in the valley. This type of katabatic is very often observed during the night in the mountains. The term katabatic actually often refer to this type of wind. [4] In contrast, fall wind do not come from radiative cooling of the air, but rather from the advection of a relatively cold air mass to the top of a ...
McMurdo Sound experiences katabatic winds from the Antarctic polar plateau. McMurdo Sound freezes over with sea ice about 3 metres (9.8 ft) thick during the winter. During the austral summer when the pack ice breaks up, wind and currents may push the ice northward into the Ross Sea, stirring up cold bottom currents that spill into the ocean basins.
Katabatic wind [ edit ] Commonwealth Bay is listed in both the Guinness Book of World Records and the Eighth Edition of the National Geographic Atlas as the windiest place on Earth, with winds regularly exceeding 240 kilometres (150 mi) per hour and an average annual wind speed of 80 kilometres (50 mi) per hour.
The unique conditions in the Dry Valleys are caused, in part, by katabatic winds; these occur when cold, dense air is pulled downhill by the force of gravity. The dry wind evaporates the snow rapidly and little melts into the soil. During the summer, this process can take only hours. Another important factor is a lack of precipitation.
Coastal polynyas are produced in the Antarctic by katabatic winds Katabatic wind spilling off an ice shelf A frosty Arctic condensation plume marks this polynya near the west shore of Hudson Bay. This one (and others nearby) are likely kept open by tidal currents. Mile-high west-facing aerial view.
Effects [ edit ] Since the Last Glacial Period , temperature trends have suggested that the interplay from the Antarctic High and Southern Annular Mode has played a significant role in katabatic winds over the Patriot Hills Base Camp . [ 3 ]
Global warming has increased interest in polar meteorology. This is because most of Earth's snow and ice are in polar regions, and these areas are expected to be the most affected by the snow/ice-surface albedo feedback effect. Therefore, if increased atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration causes global warming, then polar regions should warm ...
Berg wind, a seasonal katabatic wind blowing down the Great Escarpment from the high central plateau to the coast in South Africa. Cape Doctor , often persistent and dry south-easterly wind that blows on the South African coast from spring to late summer (September to March in the southern hemisphere).