Quasi-hydrostatic approximation

{
  "id": "MLC-T-MET-008248",
  "term": "Quasi-hydrostatic approximation",
  "field": "Meteorology and atmospheric science",
  "definition": "An assumption in atmospheric dynamics where the vertical acceleration is considered negligible compared to the gravitational force and the vertical pressure gradient force. This simplifies the equations of motion by reducing the vertical momentum equation to a hydrostatic balance. It is valid for atmospheric motions with horizontal scales much larger than their vertical scales, such as synoptic-scale weather systems.",
  "synonyms": [
    "quasi-hydrostatic assumption",
    "hydrostatic approximation"
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "filtering approximations"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/meteorology/quasi-hydrostatic-approximation/"
}