Balanced Flow - Cyclostrophic Flow

Cyclostrophic Flow

Cyclostrophic flow describes a steady-state flow in a spatially varying pressure field when

• the frictional and Coriolis actions are neglected; and:
• the centripetal acceleration is entirely sustained by the pressure gradient.

Trajectories do bend. The name 'cyclostrophic' stems from the Greek words 'kyklos' (circle) and 'strephein' (to turn).