- It is an atmospheric phenomenon where a system of winds travel thousand of kilometers and greatly influence climate change. They are associated with pressure systems and jet streams.
- They separate the cold polar air from warm tropical air and are named for Carl-Gustaf Arvid Rossby, who first identified them and explained their movement.
- They are formed when the polar air moves towards the Equator while the tropical air is moving towards the poles. The temperature difference between the equator and poles results in movement of heat from low to high level altitudes. The tropical air carries heat poleward, and the polar air absorbs heat as it moves toward the Equator.
- The existence of these waves explains the low-pressure cells (cyclones) and high-pressure cells (anticyclones) that are important in producing the weather of the middle and higher latitudes.