Jet current: what is it, when it was discovered and how it works

A stream in jet, also known as Jet Stream In English, it is a narrow band of very strong winds that forms in the upper atmosphereusually in the tropopause, which is the transition zone between the troposphere and the stratosphere. These air currents circulate at high speed and cover long distances around the planet, mainly in the average and high latitudes.

Chorro currents have some main characteristics such as:

• Speed: Winds in a stream current can reach speeds between 100 and 400 km/h. Its force depends on the differences in temperature and pressure between the masses of cold and warm air found at different latitudes.
• Altitude: Normally, the stream currents are at an altitude of between 9 and 16 km on the earth’s surface, right in the highest layer of the troposphere.
• Undulating form: Although it is often represented as a straight line that surrounds the planet, the stream currents have a wavy pattern called Rossby waves. These undulations influence meteorological systems, sometimes bringing cold fronts and storms to certain regions or blocking the entry of hot or cold air masses.
• Climate influence: Chorro currents play a key role in the formation of climate and atmospheric time. Their position and strength can determine the passage of storms, cold or warm fronts and the arrival of extreme phenomena such as hurricanes or cyclones.
• Temporality: They vary in intensity and position throughout the year. They are stronger in winter, when the temperature differences between Ecuador and the poles are more marked.

The discovery of the stream current was given progressively during the first half of the twentieth century, although some indications of its existence were observed before. Already in 1883, the German meteorologist and astronomer Hermann von Helmholtz He suggested the possibility of the existence of strong winds from great altitude based on weather observations and his work on atmospheric fluids.

The Japanese meteorologist Wasaburo Oishi was one of the first to systematically measure the jet current in the 1920s. Using weather balloons in Japan, Oishi observed strong winds from west to east in the high layers of the atmosphere, especially on the east of Asia.

The true recognition of the stream in jet During World War II (1939-1945). The pilots of military aircraft and bombers flewing at great heights noticed the strong winds in the tropopause. During this period, scientists and meteorologists began to investigate these phenomena more detail.

After the war, in the years 1940 and 1950the stream in jet was fully recognized and studied by meteorologists from different countries. With the arrival of airplanes at higher altitude and the improvement of observation tools, such as probe balloons and the first meteorological satellites, the understanding of jet currents was extended significantly.

The stream currents function as air flows that move at high speed in the high layers of the atmosphere. Its operation is influenced by several factors, mainly the differences in temperature and pressure between different air masses:

• Temperature differences: Chorro currents originate due to large temperature differences between warm and cold air masses in different latitudes. For example, near the poles, air is much colder than in tropical areas. These differences generate a very pronounced temperature gradient in the atmosphere.
• Coriolis effect: This effect diverts the winds to the right in the northern hemisphere and to the left in the southern hemisphere, which causes the stream currents to continue trajectories from west to east, instead of moving directly from north to south. In this article you will find more information about the Coriolis effect: what is it, what it consists of and examples.
• Location in the tropopause: The tropopousa acts as a natural “border” that restricts the vertical air movement, which helps channel the winds along a narrow and fast band.
• Geostrophic wind: The wind in the stream current is known as geostrophic wind, which is the result of the balance between the pressure gradient (pressure differences between areas of high and low pressures) and the Coriolis effect. In this balance, the wind flows almost parallel to the isobaras (lines of equal pressure on a meteorological map), instead of going directly from high pressure at low pressure.
• Rossby waves: Chorro currents do not flow in a straight line, but usually adopt a wavy pattern, known as Rossby waves. These undulations are caused by variations in the temperature of the earth’s surface, the interaction with high and low pressure systems and other irregularities in the atmosphere.

The stream in jet is of great importance both in meteorology and in aviation, agriculture and the study of global climatic patterns:

• Global climate regulation: Chorro currents act as barriers that separate different air masses. Polar jet current, for example, separates polar cold air from the warmest air that comes from average latitudes.
• Colder or warmer winters: When the polar jet current moves to the south, it can bring cold air from the Arctic to warmer areas, causing unusually cold winters. If, on the contrary, it moves to the north, areas that are normally cold can experience softer winters.
• Extreme weather conditions: War on jet currents can favor the formation of cold and warm fronts, which generate severe storms, hurricanes or phenomena such as heat or cold waves.
• Impact on meteorological prediction: The position of these currents indicates the areas prone to storms, heavy rains or sudden temperature changes. Understanding your patterns allows to improve the accuracy of short and long term predictions.
• Influence in aviation: Flight pilots and planners use their knowledge to optimize flight routes, which can mean considerable fuel and time savings.
• Effects on agriculture: A change in the trajectory or intensity of the stream current can affect cultivation seasons and, consequently, the agricultural production of a region.
• Rains and droughts: If the stream current remains in a position for a long time, it can cause prolonged droughts in some areas or floods in others, by concentrating the flow of storms in a specific region.

Now that you know what the stream in jet is, you may be interested in reading this article about cold waves: what are, causes and consequences.

If you want to read more articles similar to Jet current: what is it, when it was discovered and how it workswe recommend that you enter our category of meteorological phenomena.