Astrophysics (Index)About

meridional flow

(meridional current)
(north-south air circulation)

Meridional flow (or meridional current) means fluid (e.g., a planet's atmosphere) circulation between the equator and poles, parallel to meridians (lines of equal longitude), i.e., north-to-south or south-to-north flow. This type of circulation results in locations experiencing extreme temperature changes. Conversely, east-to-west or west-to-east air flow is termed zonal flow. The terms are also used to describe the details of an instance of convection, e.g., within stars or within geologically active planets.


(atmosphere)
Further reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meridional_flow
https://glossary.ametsoc.org/wiki/Meridional_flow
https://forecast.weather.gov/glossary.php?word=meridional+flow
https://www.theweatherprediction.com/habyhints/159/

Referenced by pages:
Reynolds decomposition
zonal flow

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