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Glite Dictionary
🌬️ North-south airflow 🧭 Southward direction
meridionality

meridionality

9.9
How much the jet stream or winds move north and south rather than east and west
  • noun
  • /ˌmɛrɪˈdoʊniˌælɪti/
  • Specialized
translation icon : meridionalidad
  • Meteorologists analyze the meridionality of air currents to predict weather patterns.

Examples

  • Those latitudinal shifts alter jetstream behavior between zonality and meridionality, which significantly affects global cloudiness and the amount of solar energy able to enter the oceans to drive the climate system.

    Blog text (29)

  • The key is the degree of jetstream meridionality or zonality.

    Blog text (7)

  • Changes in meridionality can influence temperature variations across different regions.

  • The study focused on the meridionality of pressure systems in the atmosphere.

Surface Forms

meridionality singular
meridionalities plural

Morphology

meridionality = meridional (semi-transparent) = meridional + ity

Formed regularly from 'meridional' + '-ity', but the specific meteorological sense as a measurable degree of N–S flow is technical and may not be inferable by general learners.

Etymology

Meridionality comes from the word meridian, which comes from Latin meridies meaning 'midday', because at noon the sun is often in the 'south'. So, in weather talk, meridionality describes how much the air or jet stream moves 'north-south' instead of east-west.