950 ageostrophic wind and 1000-850 mb lapse rates
Notes:
The data on this slide show 1000-850 mb lapse rates (large, unstable lapse rates are shaded) and 950 mb ageostrophic wind. Note that the large lapse rates initiate over Lake Huron, then extend southeast across Lake Ontario. The strong southerly ageostrophic wind occurs in relatively stable areas (such as south of Lake Ontario), where vertical mixing is relatively weak. Meanwhile, the ageostrophic southerly flow is not as strong over unstable areas (such as over lake Erie, Huron and Ontario) where strong vertical mixing can occur. These slides illustrate how differences in the vertical mixing between the land and water contribute to differences in the magnitude of the ageostrophic wind, which helps to promote convergence in certain favored areas, such as over and downwind of Lake Ontario.Slide 11