The influence of mountains on the atmosphere

Abstract

The chapter reviews the meteorological phenomena that are associated with topography. The study of airflow past mountains is complicated by the wide range of scales that must be considered. The ratios of the mountain width to each of the natural length scales are important in determining the physical regime of the flow. This idea is emphasized in the chapter by treating the effects of boundary layers and buoyancy. The theory of two-dimensional mountain waves with the help of its governing equations is presented and the observations of mountain waves are presented. The chapter also examines the influence of the boundary layer on mountain flows and slope winds and mountain and valley winds. It considers the perturbation to the wind flow caused by a mountain of intermediate scale where the rotation of the Earth cannot be neglected. For this the flow near mesoscale and synoptic-scale mountains, quasi-geostrophic flow over a mountain, the effect of inertia on the flow over mesoscale mountains, and theories of lee cyclogenesis are discussed. Finally the chapter describes planetary-scale mountain waves; a vertically integrated model of topographically forced planetary waves; the vertical structure of planetary waves; models of stationary planetary waves allowing meridional propagation and lateral; and variation in the background wind. © 1979, Academic Press, Inc.