Polar Jet Stream
This visualization uses weather and climate observations from NASA's MERRA dataset to model nearly a month of the jet stream's travel over North America, from June 10 through July 8, 1988. The jet stream is a fast-moving belt of eastward-moving winds that form at the tropopause, the boundary between cold polar air and warmer temperate air. The jet stream typically exhibits large-scale meanders, called Rossby waves. The position of the jet stream plays a major role in determining the weather beneath it. The fast-moving air encourages the formation of low pressure beneath it, and regions below the jet stream typically see frequent storms and other low pressure weather phenomena. Wind speed is color-coded in this model, with red being the fastest, through orange, yellow and cyan to dark blue (slowest).
Size: 3000px × 2400px
Location:
Photo credit: © Science History Images / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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