Question

Which of the following is a way the jet stream influences weather?

It changes the migration pattern of fish.

It causes ice to form deep below the surface.

It moves warm air around.

It melts the polar ice caps.

Answer 1

The Jet Stream, a narrow band of fast moving wind, generally above 30,000 feet has three dimensional regions or pockets of maximum winds along the jet. Where the winds enter these max regions it is appropriately call an entrance region and where it exits, an exit region. As the wind accelerates going into a jet max it produces an area of divergence. This divergence aloft helps generate areas of convergence near the surface. These latter areas are called low pressure centers. And from them we get lots of weather. Besides helping to produce storm centers in the lower atmosphere, the jet stream then helps to steer these storms which are like pieces of wood caught in a fast moving stream of water.