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File: ENSO_Rossby_superhighway.png

Cartoon diagram of a Rossby wave perturbing the jet stream, creating a highway that steers pressure systems

Image caption

When the jet stream interacts with an atmospheric Rossby wave, it develops crests and troughs that create alternating high (red) and low (blue) pressure zones in the upper atmosphere. These connected climate patterns—teleconnections—travel along the jet stream like vehicles on a globe-spanning highway. NOAA Climate.gov image.