Abstract
A new diagnostic, that partitions the occurrence of high speed surface wind events by wind direction, is described that allows for a more complete view of the atmospheric flow distortion arising from Greenland's high topography. This flow distortion has previously been shown to result in the frequent occurrence of high speed surface wind events in the vicinity of Cape Farewell, Greenland's southernmost point, as well along its southeast coast. This new diagnostic is able to distinguish between easterly and westerly Cape Farewell tip jets. In addition, it clearly identifies the 2 locations along the southeast coast of Greenland where barrier flow is enhanced and confirms previous work that indicated that these locations are collocated with regions of steep coastal topography. It also results in the identification of new regions, the northeast and southwest coasts of Greenland as well as the southeast coast of Iceland, where tip jets and barrier flow also develop. Along the northeast coast, these high speed wind events are proposed to be associated with the formation of the North East Water polynya as well as contributing to the southward advection of sea ice. Along the southwest coast, the high speed wind events, which result in a reversal of the wind direction, may contribute to the enhanced oceanic eddy activity observed to occur in this region.
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