Flow Interaction with TopographyBarrier Jets

There are two major types of topographically influenced winds that have been documented in the Arctic: barrier jets and gap winds.

Barrier jets occur when a long ridge blocks low-level flow. Unable to pass over the ridge the wind turns parallel to it and accelerates toward low pressure. Barrier jets in the Arctic have been documented along Greenland (Moore and Renfrew, 2005), Baffin Island (Deacu et al., 2010), Norway (Barstad and Grønås, 2005), and the Brooks Range (Kozo, 1984).