Question

Flow around curved height contours requires the incorporation of the centrifugal force. What is the general term to describe the winds that flow along a curved trajectory above the level where friction plays a role?

Answer 1

Answer: Gradient Wind

Explanation:

Gradient wind, is the wind that accounts for air flow along a curved trajectory. It is an extension of the concept of geostrophic wind; for example the wind assumed to move along straight and parallel isobars (lines of equal pressure). The gradient wind represents the actual wind better than the geostrophic wind, especially when both wind speed and trajectory curvature are large, because they are in hurricanes and jet streams.