Talk:Mountain jet

Around the world

This article could use some information on winds around the world; I'm sure Central America isn't the only place it applies, since mountain passes exist pretty much anywhere there are mountains. I'd help, but I don't know enough about any of it to be useful. -Bbik 07:29, 11 March 2007 (UTC)

Someone needs to study an interesting mountain pass wind and write about it. There may not be many locations where the effects are more complex than a localized high wind. There is a desert plain in Africa which is dusting the Amazon, but I haven't seen the valley-accelerated wind there described in a way which seemed to make it fit this article. (SEWilco 20:33, 11 March 2007 (UTC))

I agree that the article should be generalized. Separate articles exist on the Tehuano and Papagayo. I wonder also why these winds are described as being connected with the IntraAmerican low level jet. This isn't true. They are simply a result of surges of denser air from North America. I believe the low level jet is present at other times and is oriented perpendicular to the other winds. Tmangray 22:08, 12 July 2007 (UTC)

I don't see "IntraAmerican" mentioned. (SEWilco 02:47, 14 July 2007 (UTC))

Oh, there it is near the top of the article. (SEWilco 02:54, 14 July 2007 (UTC))

"Here we show the jet crossing Central America into the Eastern tropical Pacific through the mountain gap in Nicaragua and Costa Rica (12º N)."[1] Oh, there's three dimensional flow involved: "The sinking branch of the Walker circulation is located over Central America and the associated easterly winds strengthen."[2] How much of the flow is the IALLJ? Someone included the mountain jets in a simulation but abstract doesn't make clear the origin of the flow.[3] "In winter, the northeast trade winds prevail on both sides of Central America." (unclear if these are real or simulated winds) [4] This phrasing implies the NE trade winds are real: "Our regional model experiments show that as the northeast trades blow across Central American mountains, the subsidence on the lee side is the cause of the southward displacement of the Pacific ITCZ."[5] (SEWilco 04:09, 14 July 2007 (UTC))

Trade winds not involved

The trade winds are the normal wind in the region. They are never as strong as these surge winds. The winds only occur when dense continental air---somewhat modified---comes through. The only exception might be the passage of an easterly wave, but I have yet to see anything relating to that. Tmangray 02:03, 14 July 2007 (UTC)

The NASA article on the Papagayo wind simply says that the wind flow across Central America comes from two sources, North America and the Caribbean. But it is not the wind flow per se, but the surges in the wind flow that produce the Papagayo, Tehuano, etc. These surges all originate from North America, not the Caribbean. The article is not clearly written in this regard. It also says that the trade winds are strengthened by these surges rather than clearly distinguishing the normal trade wind flow from these surge winds. Tmangray 02:41, 14 July 2007 (UTC)

Isn't the usual trade wind flow east-to-west, which pushes the burst of cold air against the cordillera? And do the normal breezes through the valleys have names? I'm sure there must be a lot more material you've discovered, if you needed two more articles for it. (SEWilco 02:52, 14 July 2007 (UTC))