%0 Journal Article
%T Low-Frequency Rotation of Surface Winds over Canada
%A Vladimir Y. Korolevych
%A Richard B. Richardson
%J Atmosphere
%D 2012
%I MDPI AG
%R 10.3390/atmos3040522
%X Hourly surface observations from the Canadian Weather Energy and Engineering Dataset were analyzed with respect to long-term wind direction drift or rotation. Most of the Canadian landmass, including the High Arctic, exhibits a spatially consistent and remarkably steady anticyclonic rotation of wind direction. The period of anticyclonic rotation recorded at 144 out of 149 Canadian meteostations directly correlated with latitude and ranged from 7 days at Medicine Hat (50¡ãN, 110¡ãW) to 25 days at Resolute (75¡ãN, 95¡ãW). Only five locations in the vicinity of the Rocky Mountains and Pacific Coast were found to obey a ¡°negative¡± ( i.e., cyclonic) rotation. The observed anticyclonic rotation appears to be a deterministic, virtually ubiquitous, and highly persistent feature of continental surface wind. These findings are directly applicable to probabilistic assessments of airborne pollutants.
%K low frequency variability
%K surface observations
%K wind direction
%U http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/3/4/522