gradient wind

[wind]

noun

1. a wind with a velocity and direction that are mathematically defined by the balanced relationship of the pressure gradient force to the centrifugal force and the Coriolis force: conceived as blowing parallel to isobars.

Word History and Origins

Origin of gradient wind¹

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

One must rise above the ground some distance to get the true air flow, or what is known as the gradient wind, the flow which balances the gradient, i.e. a flow along the isobars.

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