Low-level wind profiles at an Antarctic coastal station

Wind and temperature profiles in the lowest 2000 m of the atmosphere at Halley (75°35′S, 26°50′W) have been analysed. Surface winds blow most frequently from the sector 090° ± 45° but the 2000 m wind direction is much more evenly distributed and appears to be determined by synoptic-scale pressure gr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Antarctic Science
Main Author: King, J.C.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 1989
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s095410208900026x
https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S095410208900026X
Description
Summary:Wind and temperature profiles in the lowest 2000 m of the atmosphere at Halley (75°35′S, 26°50′W) have been analysed. Surface winds blow most frequently from the sector 090° ± 45° but the 2000 m wind direction is much more evenly distributed and appears to be determined by synoptic-scale pressure gradients. A simple one-dimensional boundary layer model, which includes the effects of stably-stratified air overlying a sloping surface, is able to reproduce some of the features of the observed profiles.