Meterology 073 Exam #7

1. Describe the Polar Front and its effect upon Canadian Weather.

The polar front is the line of separation between the principal polar and tropical air masses in the
temperate latitudes. Most of the traveling depressions of these latitudes are formed on bends or
waves on the polar front. It often extends as an unbroken line for thousands for miles.
The polar front plays a large part to Canadian weather because along the front a depression
forms. In the summer it is pushed further northward and in winter extends further down into the
United States keeping Canada covered in cold dry air.
The polar front tends to remain inactive so long as the warm and cold air masses flow parallel
to one another, but when they converge warm moist air is forced upwards over the cold frontal
surface. This can result in the formation of much clouds and precipitation, and often starts the
mechanism which leads to the formation and development of a frontal depression.

2. Show clearly with the aid of a sketch, why there is usually a rapid shift in wind direction as a
front passes the observer.

When a front is approaching your position it is generally moving along the polar front in a direction
roughly parallel to the isobars in the warm sector and at a spread approximately to that of the air in
the warm sector. As the isobars arc curves ahead of the front the observe will be experiencing wind
in a SSE direction and when the front passes there will be a sudden veer in the direction to SW. This
can be seen by the diagram below.

L
WARM
SECTOR

It can be seen that once the front passes the observer’s location there is a rapid wind shift.

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 3. Give with the aid of a simple diagram the surface currents you would encounter on a voyage
from St. John’s NL to Vancouver BC via the Panama Canal in the fall of the year.

Currents encountered would be the following.

1. Labrador Current
2. Gulf Stream
3. Bahamas Current
4. Florida Current
5. Caribbean Current
6. North Equatorial Current
7. Californian Current
8. North Pacific Drift
9. Aleutian Current

4. Sketch and name all the parts of a TRS, illustrating the track, alternative and characteristic
paths and wind direction for the northern hemisphere.

See question in other tests.

5. Why are icebergs found in the east coast of Canada and yet not in the waters of the west
coast of Canada.

Ice bergs are found on the east coast of Canada due to glaciers on the east & west coast of
Greenland. These bergs are released form shore and those that do not get stuck in the pack ice are
taken south by the East Greenland Current to Cape Farewell and then are taken up the western shore
by the West Greenland Current. They finally get caught in the Labrador Current and travel down
towards the shipping lanes on the east coast of Canada. The west coast of Canada there are no
glaciers that reach the ocean and the currents are not favorable to carry any ice southwards.

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