In the Los Angeles basin, if the wind blows from the east during the summer, one
ID: 106602 • Letter: I
Question
In the Los Angeles basin, if the wind blows from the east during the summer, one gets "Santa Ana" winds, which are very hot and dry. This is because air blowing from the high desert to the east of Los Angeles is adiabatically compressed as it descends into the basin. Suppose that it is a nice 90 degree F summer day in the Mojave desert at an altitude of 4000 ft, but a stiff wind is blowing from the east. What is the air temperature as it reaches Los Angeles (which has an altitude of about 300 ft)?Explanation / Answer
Answer- Santa ana is hot dry winds that originates from high desert region it blow anticylonically and move southward towards southern California. it moves from adibatically from high desert to east of Los Angeles
given- temperature at Mojave desert - 90F or 32.2 celcius
altitude of mojave desert - 4000ft or 1219.2m
now winds starts blowing from east toward west direction when this air decends it becomes compressed and it temperature rises and make it warm at the rate of 10 degree celcius/Km
altiude of Los Angeles - 300ft or 91m
difference between altitude of Mojave desert and Los Angeles = 4000-300 ft = 3700ft or 1127.76m
so on decending air temperature will increase by 11.27 degree celcius
so the air temperature will be Los Angeles will be = 32.2+11.27 = 43.47 degree celcius or 110.2F