Katabatic wind: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|Downslope wind due to a high-density air}} | {{Short description|Downslope wind due to a high-density air}} | ||
[[File:מכתש רמון - גלישת עננים (cropped).jpg|thumb | [[File:מכתש רמון - גלישת עננים (cropped).jpg|thumb|Plateau-cooled air falls into the [[Makhtesh Ramon]], traced by [[radiation fog]], just after dawn. Radiative cooling of the desert highlands chills the air, making it [[unstable stratification|more dense]] than the air over the lowlands. Cooler air can also [[relative humidity|hold less water vapour]]; it condenses out as tiny fog droplets, which re-evaporate as the air warms. Here, the falling air is warming [[adiabatically]], and so the fog re-evaporates as it falls.{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}]] | ||
[[File:Vent catabatique - Catabatic Wind.jpg|thumb | [[File:Vent catabatique - Catabatic Wind.jpg|thumb|Katabatic wind in Antarctica]] | ||
A '''katabatic wind''' (named {{etymology|grc|''{{wikt-lang|grc|κατάβασις}}'' ({{grc-transl|[[katabasis|κατάβασις]]}})|descent}}) is a downslope wind caused by the flow of an elevated, high-density air mass into a lower-density air mass below | A '''katabatic wind''' (named {{etymology|grc|''{{wikt-lang|grc|κατάβασις}}'' ({{grc-transl|[[katabasis|κατάβασις]]}})|descent}}) is a downslope wind caused by the flow of an elevated, high-density [[air mass]] into a lower-density air mass below the force of gravity. The spelling '''catabatic'''<ref> | ||
{{cite book | {{cite book | ||
| title = The NASA Scope and Subject Category Guide | | title = The NASA Scope and Subject Category Guide | ||
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</ref> is also used. Since air density is strongly dependent on temperature, the high-density air mass is usually cooler, and the katabatic winds are relatively cool or cold. | </ref> is also used. Since air density is strongly dependent on temperature, the high-density air mass is usually cooler, and the katabatic winds are relatively cool or cold. | ||
Examples of katabatic winds include the downslope [[Mountain breeze and valley breeze|valley and mountain breezes]], the [[piteraq]] winds of Greenland, the [[Bora (wind)|Bora]] in the [[Adriatic Sea|Adriatic]],<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Grisogono |first1=Branko |last2=BelušIć |first2=Danijel |date=January 2009 |title=A review of recent advances in understanding the meso- and microscale properties of the severe Bora wind |url=http://tellusa.net/index.php/tellusa/article/view/15531 |journal=Tellus A |language=en |volume=61 |issue=1 |pages=1–16 |doi=10.1111/j.1600-0870.2008.00369.x|bibcode=2009TellA..61....1G |url-access=subscription }}</ref> the [[Bohemian Wind]] or ''Böhmwind'' in the [[Ore Mountains]], the [[Santa Ana wind|Santa Ana winds]] in [[southern California]], the [[oroshi]] in [[Japan]], or "the Barber" in [[New Zealand]].<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Wright |first1=Les |last2=Taonga |first2=New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu |title='The barber' |url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/21007/the-barber |access-date=2024-12-22 |website=teara.govt.nz |language=en}}</ref> | Examples of katabatic winds include the downslope [[Mountain breeze and valley breeze|valley and mountain breezes]], the [[piteraq]] winds of Greenland, the [[Bora (wind)|Bora]] in the [[Adriatic Sea|Adriatic]],<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Grisogono |first1=Branko |last2=BelušIć |first2=Danijel |date=January 2009 |title=A review of recent advances in understanding the meso- and microscale properties of the severe Bora wind |url=http://tellusa.net/index.php/tellusa/article/view/15531 |journal=Tellus A |language=en |volume=61 |issue=1 |pages=1–16 |doi=10.1111/j.1600-0870.2008.00369.x|doi-broken-date=20 October 2025 |bibcode=2009TellA..61....1G |url-access=subscription }}</ref> the [[Bohemian Wind]] or ''Böhmwind'' in the [[Ore Mountains]], the [[Santa Ana wind|Santa Ana winds]] in [[southern California]], the [[oroshi]] in [[Japan]], or "the Barber" in [[New Zealand]].<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Wright |first1=Les |last2=Taonga |first2=New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu |title='The barber' |url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/21007/the-barber |access-date=2024-12-22 |website=teara.govt.nz |language=en}}</ref> | ||
Not all downslope winds are katabatic. For instance, winds such as the [[Foehn wind|föhn]] and [[Chinook wind|chinook]] are [[rain shadow]] winds where air driven upslope on the [[Windward and leeward|windward]] side of a mountain range drops its moisture and descends [[Windward and leeward|leeward]] drier and warmer. | Not all downslope winds are katabatic. For instance, winds such as the [[Foehn wind|föhn]] and [[Chinook wind|chinook]] are [[rain shadow]] winds where air driven upslope on the [[Windward and leeward|windward]] side of a mountain range drops its moisture and descends [[Windward and leeward|leeward]] drier and warmer. | ||
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== Mechanism == | == Mechanism == | ||
[[File:Katabatic-wind hg.png|thumb|Sketch of the generation of katabatic winds in Antarctica]] | [[File:Katabatic-wind hg.png|thumb|Sketch of the generation of katabatic winds in Antarctica]] | ||
A katabatic wind originates from the difference of density of two air masses located above a slope. This density difference usually comes from temperature difference, | A katabatic wind originates from the difference of density of two air masses located above a slope. This density difference usually comes from temperature difference, though humidity may also play a role. Schematically, katabatic winds can be divided into two types for which the mechanisms are slightly different: the katabatic winds due to [[radiative cooling]] (the most common) and the [[Fall wind|fall winds]]. | ||
In the first case, the slope surface cools down radiatively after sunset, which cools down the air near the slope. 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.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Poulos |first1=Greg |last2=Zhong |first2=Shiyuan (Sharon) |date=November 2008 |title=An Observational History of Small-Scale Katabatic Winds in Mid-Latitudes |url=https://compass.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1749-8198.2008.00166.x |journal=Geography Compass |language=en |volume=2 |issue=6 |pages=1798–1821 |doi=10.1111/j.1749-8198.2008.00166.x |bibcode=2008GComp...2.1798P |issn=1749-8198|url-access=subscription }}</ref> | In the first case, the slope surface cools down radiatively after sunset, which cools down the air near the slope. 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.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Poulos |first1=Greg |last2=Zhong |first2=Shiyuan (Sharon) |date=November 2008 |title=An Observational History of Small-Scale Katabatic Winds in Mid-Latitudes |url=https://compass.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1749-8198.2008.00166.x |journal=Geography Compass |language=en |volume=2 |issue=6 |pages=1798–1821 |doi=10.1111/j.1749-8198.2008.00166.x |bibcode=2008GComp...2.1798P |issn=1749-8198|url-access=subscription }}</ref> | ||
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 slope.<ref>{{Cite web |title=fall wind |url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095809391 |access-date=2024-12-22 |website=Oxford Reference |language=en }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Fall wind - Glossary of Meteorology |url=https://glossary.ametsoc.org/wiki/Fall_wind |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220819172311/https://glossary.ametsoc.org/wiki/Fall_wind |archive-date=2022-08-19 |access-date=2024-12-22 |website=glossary.ametsoc.org |language=en |url-status=live }}</ref> This cold air mass can come from the arrival of a cold front (see [[Bora (wind)|Bora]]),<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stull |first=Roland |date=2020-03-31 |title=17.10: Downslope Winds |url=https://geo.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Meteorology_and_Climate_Science/Practical_Meteorology_(Stull)/17:_Regional_Winds/17.10:_Downslope_Winds |access-date=2024-12-22 |website=Geosciences LibreTexts |language=en}}</ref> or from the advection of cool marine air by a sea-breeze.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Lunel |first1=Tanguy |last2=Jimenez |first2=Maria Antonia |last3=Cuxart |first3=Joan |last4=Martinez-Villagrasa |first4=Daniel |last5=Boone |first5=Aaron |last6=Le Moigne |first6=Patrick |date=2024-07-05 |title=The marinada fall wind in the eastern Ebro sub-basin: physical mechanisms and role of the sea, orography and irrigation |url=https://acp.copernicus.org/articles/24/7637/2024/ |journal=Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics |language=en |volume=24 |issue=13 |pages=7637–7666 |doi=10.5194/acp-24-7637-2024 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2024ACP....24.7637L |issn=1680-7324}}</ref> | 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 slope.<ref>{{Cite web |title=fall wind |url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095809391 |access-date=2024-12-22 |website=Oxford Reference |language=en }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Fall wind - Glossary of Meteorology |url=https://glossary.ametsoc.org/wiki/Fall_wind |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220819172311/https://glossary.ametsoc.org/wiki/Fall_wind |archive-date=2022-08-19 |access-date=2024-12-22 |website=glossary.ametsoc.org |language=en |url-status=live }}</ref> This cold air mass can come from the arrival of a [[cold front]] (see [[Bora (wind)|Bora]]),<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stull |first=Roland |date=2020-03-31 |title=17.10: Downslope Winds |url=https://geo.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Meteorology_and_Climate_Science/Practical_Meteorology_(Stull)/17:_Regional_Winds/17.10:_Downslope_Winds |access-date=2024-12-22 |website=Geosciences LibreTexts |language=en}}</ref> or from the advection of cool marine air by a sea-breeze.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Lunel |first1=Tanguy |last2=Jimenez |first2=Maria Antonia |last3=Cuxart |first3=Joan |last4=Martinez-Villagrasa |first4=Daniel |last5=Boone |first5=Aaron |last6=Le Moigne |first6=Patrick |date=2024-07-05 |title=The marinada fall wind in the eastern Ebro sub-basin: physical mechanisms and role of the sea, orography and irrigation |url=https://acp.copernicus.org/articles/24/7637/2024/ |journal=Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics |language=en |volume=24 |issue=13 |pages=7637–7666 |doi=10.5194/acp-24-7637-2024 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2024ACP....24.7637L |issn=1680-7324}}</ref> | ||
== Impacts == | == Impacts == | ||
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In California, strong katabatic wind events have been responsible for the explosive growth of many wildfires, including the 2018 [[Camp Fire (2018)|Camp Fire]] and the 2020 [[North Complex fire|North Complex]]. | In California, strong katabatic wind events have been responsible for the explosive growth of many wildfires, including the 2018 [[Camp Fire (2018)|Camp Fire]] and the 2020 [[North Complex fire|North Complex]]. | ||
In [[Catalonia]], the [[Marinada (wind)|Marinada]] is a fall wind that relieves from the heat inhabitants of the [[Urgell]] region during summer.<ref name=":0" /> | In [[Catalonia]], [[Spain]] the [[Marinada (wind)|Marinada]] is a fall wind that relieves from the heat inhabitants of the [[Urgell]] region during summer.<ref name=":0" /> | ||
== See also == | == See also == | ||
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*{{cite journal |last1=Bromwich |first1=David H. |title=Satellite Analyses of Antarctic Katabatic Wind Behavior |journal=Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society |volume=70 |issue=7 |year=1989 |pages=738–49 |doi=10.1175/1520-0477(1989)070<0738:SAOAKW>2.0.CO;2 |bibcode=1989BAMS...70..738B |doi-access=free }} | *{{cite journal |last1=Bromwich |first1=David H. |title=Satellite Analyses of Antarctic Katabatic Wind Behavior |journal=Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society |volume=70 |issue=7 |year=1989 |pages=738–49 |doi=10.1175/1520-0477(1989)070<0738:SAOAKW>2.0.CO;2 |bibcode=1989BAMS...70..738B |doi-access=free }} | ||
*{{cite journal |last1=Bromwich |first1=David H. |title=An Extraordinary Katabatic Wind Regime at Terra Nova Bay, Antarctica |journal=Monthly Weather Review |volume=117 |issue=3 |year=1989 |pages=688–95 |doi=10.1175/1520-0493(1989)117<0688:AEKWRA>2.0.CO;2 |bibcode=1989MWRv..117..688B |doi-access=free }} | *{{cite journal |last1=Bromwich |first1=David H. |title=An Extraordinary Katabatic Wind Regime at Terra Nova Bay, Antarctica |journal=Monthly Weather Review |volume=117 |issue=3 |year=1989 |pages=688–95 |doi=10.1175/1520-0493(1989)117<0688:AEKWRA>2.0.CO;2 |bibcode=1989MWRv..117..688B |doi-access=free }} | ||
*Giles, Bill. [http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/features/az/alphabet31.shtml Weather A-Z - Katabatic Winds By Bill Giles OBE], BBC, Retrieved 2008-10-14 | *Giles, Bill. [https://archive.today/20031208055711/http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/features/az/alphabet31.shtml Weather A-Z - Katabatic Winds By Bill Giles OBE], BBC, Retrieved 2008-10-14 | ||
*McKnight, TL & Hess, Darrel (2000). Katabatic Winds. In ''Physical Geography: A Landscape Appreciation'', pp. 131–2. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. {{ISBN|0-13-020263-0}} | *McKnight, TL & Hess, Darrel (2000). Katabatic Winds. In ''Physical Geography: A Landscape Appreciation'', pp. 131–2. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. {{ISBN|0-13-020263-0}} | ||
*{{cite journal |last1=Parish |first1=Thomas R. |last2=Bromwich |first2=David H. |title=Continental-Scale Simulation of the Antarctic Katabatic Wind Regime |journal=Journal of Climate |volume=4 |issue=2 |year=1991 |pages=135–46 |doi=10.1175/1520-0442(1991)004<0135:CSSOTA>2.0.CO;2 |bibcode=1991JCli....4..135P |doi-access=free }} | *{{cite journal |last1=Parish |first1=Thomas R. |last2=Bromwich |first2=David H. |title=Continental-Scale Simulation of the Antarctic Katabatic Wind Regime |journal=Journal of Climate |volume=4 |issue=2 |year=1991 |pages=135–46 |doi=10.1175/1520-0442(1991)004<0135:CSSOTA>2.0.CO;2 |bibcode=1991JCli....4..135P |doi-access=free }} | ||
Latest revision as of 21:02, 7 November 2025
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A katabatic wind (named Template:Etymology) is a downslope wind caused by the flow of an elevated, high-density air mass into a lower-density air mass below the force of gravity. The spelling catabatic[1] is also used. Since air density is strongly dependent on temperature, the high-density air mass is usually cooler, and the katabatic winds are relatively cool or cold.
Examples of katabatic winds include the downslope valley and mountain breezes, the piteraq winds of Greenland, the Bora in the Adriatic,[2] the Bohemian Wind or Böhmwind in the Ore Mountains, the Santa Ana winds in southern California, the oroshi in Japan, or "the Barber" in New Zealand.[3]
Not all downslope winds are katabatic. For instance, winds such as the föhn and chinook are rain shadow winds where air driven upslope on the windward side of a mountain range drops its moisture and descends leeward drier and warmer.
Mechanism
A katabatic wind originates from the difference of density of two air masses located above a slope. This density difference usually comes from temperature difference, though humidity may also play a role. Schematically, katabatic winds can be divided into two types for which the mechanisms are slightly different: the katabatic winds due to radiative cooling (the most common) and the fall winds.
In the first case, the slope surface cools down radiatively after sunset, which cools down the air near the slope. 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 slope.[5][6] This cold air mass can come from the arrival of a cold front (see Bora),[7] or from the advection of cool marine air by a sea-breeze.[8]
Impacts
Katabatic winds are for example found blowing out from the large and elevated ice sheets of Antarctica and Greenland. The buildup of high density cold air over the ice sheets and the elevation of the ice sheets brings into play enormous gravitational energy. Where these winds are concentrated into restricted areas in the coastal valleys, the winds blow well over hurricane force,[9] reaching around Script error: No such module "convert"..[10] In Greenland these winds are called piteraq and are most intense whenever a low pressure area approaches the coast.
In a few regions of continental Antarctica the snow is scoured away by the force of the katabatic winds, leading to "dry valleys" (or "Antarctic oases") such as the McMurdo Dry Valleys. Since the katabatic winds are descending, they tend to have a low relative humidity, which desiccates the region. Other regions may have a similar but lesser effect, leading to "blue ice" areas where the snow is removed and the surface ice sublimates, but is replenished by glacier flow from upstream.
In the Fuegian Archipelago (Tierra del Fuego) in South America as well as in Alaska in North America, a wind known as a williwaw is a particular danger to harboring vessels. Williwaws originate in the snow and ice fields of the coastal mountains, and they can be faster than Script error: No such module "convert"..[11]
In California, strong katabatic wind events have been responsible for the explosive growth of many wildfires, including the 2018 Camp Fire and the 2020 North Complex.
In Catalonia, Spain the Marinada is a fall wind that relieves from the heat inhabitants of the Urgell region during summer.[8]
See also
References
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- ↑ Climate: The South Pole Template:Webarchive Stanford Humanities Lab Template:Webarchive, Retrieved 2008-10-01
- ↑ Trewby, M. (Ed., 2002): Antarctica. An encyclopedia from Abbott Ice Shelf to Zooplankton Firefly Books Ltd. Template:ISBN
- ↑ Williwaw weatheronline.co.uk. Accessed 2013-04-29.
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Further reading
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- Giles, Bill. Weather A-Z - Katabatic Winds By Bill Giles OBE, BBC, Retrieved 2008-10-14
- McKnight, TL & Hess, Darrel (2000). Katabatic Winds. In Physical Geography: A Landscape Appreciation, pp. 131–2. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Template:ISBN
- Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".