ESCI 241 – Meteorology
Answers to Selected Exercises for Lesson 12
1. a. For the 500 mb isohypse pattern below calculate the magnitude of the geostrophic
wind at point B. Assume a horizontal distance between isobars of 150 km, and f =
10
−4
s
−1
. The contour heights are given in meters.
Answer: 39.2 m/s
b. For points A, B, and C tell whether you would expect the actual wind to be greater
than, less than, or equal to the geostrophic wind.
Answer: A greater; B same; C less
2. Find the thickness of the 1000 mb to 500 mb layer for a layer average temperature of
−7°C.
Answer: 5400 m
