MY NOTES

CLIMATOLOGY
Concepts based Notes ( Jet Stream)
 Permanent jet streams
• There are two permanent jet streams – subtropical
jets at lower latitudes and polar front jets at mid-
latitudes.

Subtropical jet stream (STJ)

• The sub-tropical jet stream is produced by the earth’s

rotation (Coriolis force) and temperature contrast
between tropical and sub – tropical regions.
• At the equator, the rotation produces greatest velocity
in the atmosphere.
• As a result, the rising air which spreads out northwards
and southwards, moves faster than the latitudes over
which it is blowing.
• It is de ected to the right in the northern hemisphere
and to the left in the southern hemisphere, and at
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 about 30° latitude, it becomes concentrated as the
subtropical jet streams.
• During winter, the STJ is nearly continuous in both
hemispheres. The STJ exists all year in the southern
hemisphere. However, it is intermittent in the northern
hemisphere during summer when it migrates north.
• The STJ can be temporarily displaced when strong
mid-latitude troughs extend into subtropical latitudes.
When these displacements occur, the subtropical jet
can merge with the polar front jet (Related to
Cloudbursts. We will study this in Indian Monsoons).
• STJ is closely connected to the Indian and African
summer monsoons

Polar front jet (PFJ)

• The polar front jet is produced by a temperature

di erence and is closely related to the polar front (more
about fronts later).
• It has a more variable position than the sub-tropical jet.
In summer, its position shifts towards the poles and in
winter towards the equator.
• The jet is strong and continuous in winter.
• It greatly in uences climates of regions lying close to
60 degree latitude.
• It determines the path and speed and intensity of
temperate cyclones.

Temporary jet streams

• While the polar and subtropical jet streams are the best
known and most studied, other jet streams can form
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 when wind speeds are above 94 kph in the upper
atmosphere at about 9 – 14.5 km above the surface.
• They are few. Important ones are Somali Jet and The
African Easterly jet.

The Tropical Easterly Jet or African Easterly Jet

• There are also major high velocity winds in the lower

troposphere called low-level jets (LLJs). In the tropics,
the most prominent of these are the Somali Jet and
the African Easterly Jet.
• The TEJ is a unique and dominant feature of the
northern hemispheric summer over southern Asia and
northern Africa. The TEJ is found near between 5° and
20°N.
• It is fairly persistent in its position, direction, and
intensity from June through the beginning of October.
• During the south Asian summer monsoon, the TEJ
induces secondary circulations that enhance
convection over South India and nearby ocean.
• The establishment and maintenance of the TEJ is not
fully understood but it is believed that the jet may be
caused by the uniquely high temperatures and heights
over the Tibetan Plateau during summer.
• The TEJ is the upper-level venting system for the
strong southwest monsoon.

The Somali Jet

• Among the most well-known of the tropical LLJs is the
Somali Jet, a southwesterly
• The Somali jet occurs during the summer over northern
Madagascar and o the coast of Somalia. The jet is
most intense from June to August.
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 • It is a major cross-equatorial ow from the southern
Indian Ocean to the central Arabian Sea.
• A split in the axis of the jet over the Arabian Sea, the
more northern branch intersecting the west coast of
India near 17°N, while the southerly branch moves
eastward just south of India.
• The jet remains relatively steady from June to
September before moving southward to the southern
Indian Ocean during the winter.

In uence of Jet Streams on Weather

• Jet streams help in maintenance of latitudinal heat

balance by mass exchange of air.
• PFJ in uence the mid-latitude weather disturbances.
Usually there are severe storms when jet streams
interfere with surface wind systems.
• Jet streams also in uence the path of temperate
cyclones. They have an in uence on distribution of
precipitation by the temperate cyclones.
• Sub-tropical jet stream and some temporary jet
streams together in uence Indian Monsoon patterns.
(more about this while studying India Monsoons in
Indian geography)
• Jet streams also exercise an in uence on movement of
air masses which may cause prolonged drought or
ood conditions.

Jet Streams and Weather in Temperate Regions

How does jet streams a ect the weather in temperate
regions?
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 • PFJ play a key role in determining the weather because
they usually separate colder air and warmer air.
• Jet streams generally push air masses around, moving

weather systems to new areas and even causing them

to stall if they have moved too far away.
• PFJ play a major role in determining the path and
intensity of frontal precipitation and frontal cyclones or
temperate cyclones.
• Weak PFJ also results in slipping of polar vortex into
temperate regions. (More later)

Explanation
• Polar jet has distinct peaks (ridges) and troughs.
• Ridges occur where the warm air (at high pressure)
pushes against the cold air.
• Troughs occur where cold air (at lower pressure) drops
into warm air.
• This condition occurs due to weak jet stream which is
weak due to lesser temperature contrast between sub-
tropics and temperate region.
• These ridges and troughs give rise to jet streaks which
are the main reason behind cyclonic and anticyclonic

weather conditions at the surface.

• The winds leaving the jet streak are rapidly diverging,
creating a lower pressure at the upper level
(Tropopause) in the atmosphere. The air below rapidly
replaces the upper out owing winds. This in turn
creates the low pressure at the surface. This surface
low pressure creates conditions where the surrounding
surface winds rush inwards. The Coriolis e ect creates
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 the cyclonic rotation that is associated with
depressions.
• The winds entering the jet streak are rapidly
converging, creating a high pressure at the upper level
(Tropopause) in the atmosphere. This convergence at
upper troposphere leads to divergence (high pressure)
at the surface (anticyclonic condition).
• The Coriolis e ect creates the anticyclonic rotation that
is associated with clear weather.

Jet Streams and Aviation

• Jet streams are used by aviators if they have to y in
the direction of the ow of the jet streams, and avoid
them when ying in opposite direction.
• Jet streams can also cause a bumpy ight, because
the jet stream is sometimes unpredictable and can
cause sudden movement, even when the weather
looks calm and clear.
• During volcanic eruptions plumes of volcanic ash have
a tendency to get sucked into the same jet stream that
airplanes use for travel.
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