Thermal circulations

• many mesoscale phenomena are the result of a thermal circulation:

• thermal circulation - a circulation generated by pressure gradients produced by differential heating

• thermal circulations tend to be shallow - do not extend up through the depth of the troposphere

  examples of thermal circulations:

  • sea breeze
  • land breeze
  • monsoons
  • mountain and valley breezes

• Q: So how is a thermal circulation generated? Let's consider the formation of the sea/land breeze circulation as an example......