This is a foundation module in the Mesoscale Meteorology Primer series. Topics covered include an overview of factors that control whether air will go up and over a mountain or be forced around it, the role of potential and kinetic energy, the Froude number and what it tells you, and air flow blocked by topography.
Terminal Objectives
By the end of this module you will be able to do the following:
1. Describe how flow interacts with topography.
2. List the factors that determine the interaction.
Enabling Objectives
By the end of this module you will be able to do the following:
1. List the factors that determine the interaction of flow with topography.
2. Describe the Froude number in terms of wind speed, wind direction, static stability, and mountain height.
3. Describe flow interactions with a long, straight mountain ridge for high-Froude-number and low-Froude-number flows.
4. Recall how flow responds to a single, tall mountain.
5. List the factors that determine the upstream distance that flow will be affected by topography.
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