ENVI1400 : Meteorology and Forecasting : lecture 3 9

Geostrophic Balance
A pressure gradient imposed on
a stationary air mass will start to The pressure force
accelerate it towards the region continues to accelerate the
of low pressure flow, and the coriolis force
continues to turn it FP

1000 mb
FP FP FP
Vg
1004 mb V
V
V
Fc
Fc Fc
Fc Eventually the flow becomes
The coriolis force acts to parallel to the isobars, and
turn the flow to the right (in the pressure and coriolis
the northern hemisphere) forces balance. This is
termed geostrophic balance,
and Vg the geostrophic wind
speed.

ENVI1400 : Meteorology and Forecasting : lecture 3 10

Since the coriolis force balances N.B. air density  changes very
the pressure force we have: little at a fixed altitude, and is
usually assumed constant, but
Pressure gradient force = coriolis force decreases significantly with
1 dP = 2 Vg sin increasing altitude
 dx  pressure gradient force for a
given pressure gradient
Geostrophic wind speed is directly increases with altitude
proportional to the pressure  geostrophic wind speed
gradient, and inversely dependent increases with altitude.
on latitude.
 For a fixed pressure gradient,
the geostrophic wind speed
decreases towards the poles.

ENVI1400 : Meteorology and Forecasting : lecture 3 11

 Geostrophic wind scale (knots)

ENVI1400 : Meteorology and Forecasting : lecture 3 12