The downslope flow of cold, dense air under gravity, most powerfully developed where air is chilled over a high, snow- or ice-covered surface such as the Antarctic or Greenland ice sheets and then drains rapidly down toward the coast. Katabatic winds off Antarctica's ice sheet are among the strongest sustained surface winds recorded anywhere on Earth.
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Timescale (category) Process TypeAtmospheric Circulation 2 Connections
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1. Katabatic wind (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia infobox 'Lead section' = 'A katabatic wind (named from Ancient Greek κατάβασις (katábasis) '...' on 'Katabatic wind'View the Source 2. Katabatic Wind Formation (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationLead sectionQuote, Lead section
A katabatic wind (named from Ancient Greek κατάβασις (katábasis) 'descent') is a downslope wind caused by the flow of an elevated, high-density air mass into a lower-density air mass below. The spelling catabatic is also used.
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