Monday, October 11, 2010

Time for a "Cool Change"

There's not much to talk about today, so I have to reach deep for this post.

One of my favorite 70s pop songs is Cool Change by the Little River Band, an Australian group that had a number of hit singles in the late 70s and early 80s.  

Cool Change has meteorological connotations, which partially explains why I like the song.  It is the popular name for summertime cold frontal passages in southeast Australia, which produce dramatic temperature falls as hot continental air is replaced by cooler air from over the Southern Ocean (Smith et al. 1982).  They bring welcome relief, with one cool change this summer described as ending "misery at the gates of Hell."  Wish I was there for that one.  A close cousin is the onshore surge of marine air that occurs in the Pacific Northwest of the United States (Mass et al. 1986).  

So, as we experience a weak baroclinic trough passage today, be sure to give Cool Change a listen.  

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