Differences in the formation of blocking processes between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres

• Published in: IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science
• Main Authors: Morozova, S V, Polyanskaya, E A, Kononova, N K, Denisov, K E, Letuchiy, A V
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: IOP Publishing 2019
• Subjects: Antarctic; Arctic; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/386/1/012005; https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1755-1315/386/1/012005/pdf; https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1755-1315/386/1/012005

Abstract Mechanisms of formation of blocking processes in the Southern Hemisphere are considered. They are compared with analogous mechanisms in the Northern Hemisphere by using daily synoptic maps of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. It is found that in the circulation mechanisms of the Southern Hemisphere the process of merging of Antarctic and subtropical anticyclones takes place in a completely different way than in the Northern Hemisphere. The main difference is that in the Northern Hemisphere, as a rule, the ridge of an Arctic anticyclone extends to the low latitudes, but in the Southern Hemisphere the ridge of a subtropical anticyclone extends to the high latitudes, towards Antarctica. An assumption is made that such a peculiarity of circulation leads to the fact that the rear of coastal Antarctic cyclones does not receive cold air masses, as in the cyclones of the Northern Hemisphere, but gets warm in comparison with their frontal part.