Air and Sea Interaction Chapter 8

Ocean Circulation Ocean circulation affects ALL of the worlds climates The oceans transport heat into the air which changes the local climate Air, land, and sea constantly exchange materials and energy

Air Mixture of gases Major gases are Nitrogen (78%), Oxygen (21%), Argon (.93%), and Carbon Dioxide (.03%) in Non-polluted air The majority of breathable air is found in the ____________and ____________. Ozone layer is found in the ____________

The amount of water the air can hold depends on 3 factors: _____% of the volume of air is aerosols (small particulates) and water vapor The particulates are responsible for creating acid rain and the hole in the ozone layer Water vapor is invisible. Clouds are condensed water around the aerosols The amount of water the air can hold depends on 3 factors: Temperature (the ______ the temp, the more water) Pressure (pressure ____________, so does water) Density of air (__________ causes increase in water) Warm moist air is __________dense than cool

Weather results 2 air masses of the same temperature can have different densities Can lead to rain when the 2 fronts meet ____________ and ____________ rates are in a dynamic equilibrium Temperature changes causes saturation levels to change adhesion and cohesion causes droplets to drop This is what is reported on the news

Earth Heat Balance Greenhouse effect is NOT ____________ ____________. It is necessary. It is how the earth absorbs and reflects solar radiation _______% is absorbed or reflected in atmosphere Without it average temperature would be ________o C colder The concern is increasing the effect

Why does the Earth heat unevenly Temperatures vary by location and time of year ____________ shape causes heat to arrive at different times The ____________ axis causes different parts to heat at different rates Reason why the northern is in winter while the southern hemisphere is in summer The ____________ ____________ causes the earth to be closer to the sun at different times of the year. The winters of the northern hemisphere is warmer than the winters of the southern hemisphere The earth is closer to the sun in January than in July Show the demo with the globe and a flashlight

Convection Uneven heating causes hot air to raise and cool air to fall This is due to a ____________ change The hot air at the equator will head either to north or south poles. At the same time, the cold air at the poles will move towards the equator. This causes various weather patterns including rain, wind, and snow

Coriolis Effect Coriolis effect => tendency for a moving object to deflect right in the northern hemisphere and left in the southern hemisphere This causes winds to be able to move in ____________ direction It shapes wind and ocean currents Allows for distribution of heat, nutrients, and life Ocean currents are covered later. see class demo on 8-16. show N, equator, ball travels straight but planet rotates away. Equator to N ball is rotating at equator speed and moves away because rotation slows as it reaches pole

It is caused by the rotation of the earth FYI toilets do not flow in a different direction They can be made to do that.

Atmospheric Circulation Cells Small regions of air mass with individual airflow patterns Winds do NOT just flow from pole to equator and back Air gains density by cooling and losing water BEFORE it reaches the poles causing it to return back to the equator (due to convection) Some air keeps going another 30o and repeats This causes the different wind patterns Why do winds vary? This is the question for this section.

3 types of Atmospheric Circulation cells Each type has a northern and southern hemisphere version of it ____________ = (a.k.a. trade winds) in the North it flows from NE to SW. In the South, it flows SE to NW

____________ = known as the Westerlies in the northern hemisphere because it flows from W to E and Easterlies in the southern hemisphere because its E to W. This is opposite than expected because the other 2 types have an effect on it ____________ = they follow the same flow pattern as the ____________ ____________.

Intertropical Convergence Zone Known as the __________ ___________ It can shift depending on how the planet is heated It is the wettest parts of the earth It is the reason most ____________ are located at 30o This is where the dry air mass that rises ends up

Monsoons Causes wet summers and dry winter Results because the land has a ____________ heat capacity than water Air over land heats ____________ causing it to rise Moist air comes in from the ocean to replace it It too gets heated and rises. When it cools, water falls In winter, the process is ____________

Cyclones ____________ ____________ storm systems of low pressure with converging winds at the ____________ Forms when the coriolis effect causes moist winds to spiral into a ____________ ____________ area It can become a ____________ or ____________ Their energy source is a rapid movement of ____________ and ____________ into a system from warm, tropical ocean This is why they weaken over land and cold water They rotate ____________ in the north and ____________ in the south There is a purpose for them: distribute heat in the planet as fast as possible.