In atmospheric science, the condition where pressure surfaces and density surfaces are not parallel, which creates weather systems and wind patterns.
From 'baro-' (pressure, from Greek 'baros') + 'clinic' (slope, from Greek 'klinein' meaning to lean). The term was coined in meteorology to describe tilted layers in the atmosphere.
Baroclinicity is why we have weather at all—if the atmosphere were perfectly organized and smooth, there would be no storms, just bland calm. Weather is literally born from atmospheric 'tilt'!
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