Jet Stream: An area of strong winds that are concentrated in a relatively narrow band in the upper troposphere of the middle latitudes and subtropical regions of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Flowing in a semi-continuous band around the globe from west to east, it is caused by the changes in air temperature where the cold polar air moving towards the equator meets the warmer equatorial air moving polarward. It is marked by a concentration of isotherms and strong vertical shear.

 

Related Words

Jet Stream: An area of strong winds that are concentrated in a relatively narrow band in the upper troposphere of the middle latitudes and subtropical regions of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. F . . . View Full Definition

Jet Streak: A region of accelerated wind speed along the axis of a jet stream.

Arctic Jet: The jet stream that is situated high in the stratosphere in and around the Arctic or Antarctic Circles. It marks the boundary of polar and arctic air masses.

Ramjet: An aerodynamic duct in which fuel is burned to produce a high-velocity propulsive jet. It needs to be accelerated to high speed before it can become operative.