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File: ENSO_Rossby_wave.png

File name: ENSO_Rossby_wave.png
Original Resolution (pixels): 2000 × 1374
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Alternate Text: Diagram of high and low pressure zones embedded in the Northern Hemisphere jet stream by a Rossby wave
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Diagram of high and low pressure zones embedded in the Northern Hemisphere jet stream by a Rossby wave

Image caption

When a Rossby wave perturbs the Northern Hemisphere mid-latitude jet stream, warmer, high-pressure air is transported poleward into the wave crests, and cooler, lower-pressure air is transported equatorward into the troughs. The jet stream becomes a waveguide, steering the oscillation of the Rossby wave. NOAA Climate.gov image.