GEOG211 Climatology ch12 part 2

• Surface winds drive surface currents which can be affected by atmospheric circulation patterns

  
• Ocean currents are driven by differences in temperature, salinity, wind stress, and pressure gradients
• The ocean is the largest heat sink on Earth
• The Coriolis effect is the deflection to the right (in the northern hemisphere) caused by Earth's rotation, resulting in wind convergence or divergence.
• The Coriolis effect is the deflection to the right (in the northern hemisphere) caused by Earth's rotation that affects ocean currents
• Air masses are large bodies of air with similar temperature and moisture characteristics that form over land or water surfaces.
• Wind convergence occurs when air flows towards an area, while wind divergence occurs when air moves away from an area.
• Warm water holds more moisture than cold water so warmer oceans lead to higher evaporation rates
• Wind-driven currents include Ekman transport, coastal upwelling, and equatorial undercurrents
• El Niño events occur when trade winds weaken or reverse leading to changes in sea level pressures across the Pacific Ocean

  
• Tropical cyclones form over warm tropical waters where there is high humidity and low vertical wind shear
• Thermohaline circulation involves density changes due to variations in water temperature and salt content
• Continental polar air masses originate from high latitudes and have low temperatures and dry conditions.
• Wind-driven currents occur when prevailing winds blow across an open body of water, causing surface waters to move in the same direction as the wind
• Air masses have distinct characteristics such as temperature, moisture content, and density that determine their behavior and impact on weather patterns.
• Thermohaline circulation occurs due to density differences between warm/salty and cold/freshwater masses, with sinking occurring at high latitudes where dense water forms

  
• Maritime tropical air masses originate near the equator and have warm temperatures and moist conditions.
• Frontal systems occur where two different air masses meet, causing changes in temperature, precipitation, and cloud cover.
• Coriolis force causes winds to move parallel to coastlines rather than directly across them
• Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC): A large-scale thermohaline circulation system in the Atlantic Ocean that transports heat from low to midlatitudes
• A cold front is where two different air masses meet, causing precipitation and strong winds.

  
• Frontal systems occur when two different types of air masses meet, causing changes in weather such as precipitation, cloud formation, and strong winds.
• A stationary front is where two air masses meet but do not move past each other, creating unstable conditions.
• Ocean currents can transport warm/cold water around the globe, affecting climate patterns
• An occluded front is formed when one warm air mass replaces another, leading to cloudy weather and rainfall.
• Atmospheric circulation refers to the movement of air within the atmosphere due to differences in pressure and temperature.
• Coastal upwelling is the vertical mixing of nutrient-rich deep water near coastlines due to winds blowing parallel to shore
• Tropical cyclones can be classified as tropical depressions, tropical storms, typhoons, hurricanes, and super typhoons based on their intensity
• Ekman transport refers to the horizontal movement of surface waters due to friction between the wind and sea surface
• The Coriolis effect causes moving objects on Earth's surface to deflect to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and left in the Southern Hemisphere due to the rotation of the planet

  
• Equatorial undercurrents refer to the downward flow of warm water at low latitudes, which can affect ocean circulation patterns
• Hurricane Katrina was one of the most destructive natural disasters in US history, causing widespread flooding and loss of life in New Orleans

  
• The Gulf Stream transports heat northward along the eastern coast of North America
• Cyclone tracks are influenced by factors such as ocean temperatures, atmospheric pressure gradients, and topography
• Fronts can be classified based on their location (e.g., surface, intermediate) and type (e.g., warm/cold core)
• The Gulf Stream transports heat northward along the eastern coast of North America
• Hurricanes have sustained winds greater than 74 mph (33 meters per second) and can cause significant damage to infrastructure and loss of life
• Fronts can be classified based on their location (e.g., surface, intermediate) and type (e.g., warm/cold core)
• The Hadley cell is driven by differential heating between the tropics and subtropics, resulting in rising air near the equator and sinking air near the poles.
• Oceanic fronts are boundaries between two different oceanic masses with distinct physical properties such as temperature, salinity, nutrient concentration, and biological productivity