Weather, oceans and climate

Atm osphere

troposphere
11 m iles
stratosphere
-11-30 m iles,
low er portion
w ith ozone
m esosphere
GREENHOUSE EFFECT-natural process in
w hich heat- trapping gases(carbon diox ide,
w ater vapor), traps heat in the troposphere.
W ithout this, Earth w ould be cold and
lifeless.
W eather
short term physical
properties of the
troposphere
tem perature,pressure,hum i
dity,precipitation,cloud
cover,w ind direction and
speed
Front
boundary betw een 2 air m asses
w arm - advancing w arm air m ass
and the colder one that is replacing
it - cloudy,drizzle
cold - m ore dense, close to the
ground, w edges under less dense
w arm air- high surface
w inds,thunderstorm s
Clim ate
long term w eather of an area
global tem perature and
precipitation determ ined by
uneven heating of earth by sun
lead to distinct clim ate zones
according to latitude
 Cold

Cool Temperate

Warm Temperate

Tropical

(equator)

Tropical

Warm Temperate

Cool Temperate

Cold

Climate type
 Global patterns- m ajor factors
incom ing solar radiation patterns -
uneven heating of troposphere
ocean currents - air circulation +
differences in w ater density
air circulation
patterns - uneven
heating of earth’s
surface ; seasonal
changes due to
Earth’s tilt on ax is
and revolution ;
earth’s rotation on
ax is ; long term
variation of incom ing
solar energy
Geom etry of Earth and Sun
Earth’s rotation, tilted ax is and
revolution play a m ajor role in w eather
and clim ate
Convection currents
Vertical convection
currents m ix air in the
troposphere & transport
heat and w ater from
one area to another in
circular cells. R elative
hum idity increases as
the air rises(right) and
decreases as it
falls(left)
Air circulation patterns- prevailing
w inds
Tradew inds-
sub tropics
W esterlies -
tem perate
latitudes
Doldrum s-
still air -
along
equator
Air circulation patterns
driven by
solar energy
COR I OLI S
EFFECT - 6
convection
cells of
sw irling air
m ass, 3 north
and 3 south
of Equator
Global air
flow
Conceptual
m odel of
global air
circulation
and biom es
Ocean currents
solar energy -->w ind kinetic
energy-->ocean kinetic energy
deep currents driven by
cooling & increased salinity
large circular patterns of
m ovem ent in ocean basins
currents redistribute heat &
m oderate clim ate- Gulf stream
brings w arm w ater to NW
Europe to m ake it w arm
Transfer of
energy by
convection
in the
atmosphere
UP W ELLI N G -brings deep cool nutrient- rich
w aters up to replace surface w ater, leading to
prim ary productivity w ith large populations
of phytoplankton
El - Nino Southern Oscillation
(ENSO)
A periodic shift in global conditions
(every 3-4 years) w here prevailing
w esterly w inds in the Pacific ocean
w eaken or cease-surface w aters
along the Am ericas becom e
w arm er,upw elling stops,prim ary
productivity declines
Fish kills , increase in bacteria
results in increased cholera , other
w ater borne diseases
Global climatic effects of an El Nino
W hat is La Nina?
Som etim es El Nino is follow ed by it’s
counterpart La N ina
M ore Atlantic hurricanes ; colder w inters
in Canada and the N ortheast ; w arm er and
drier w inters in the Southeastern and
Southw estern United States ; torrential
rains in Southeast Asia ; low er w heat
yields in Argentina ; m ore w ildfires in
Florida
W orse than
El Nino for
the US
M ore
Atlantic
coast
hurricanes ;
increase in
tornadoes
spread out
over a
w ider area;
El Nino and LA Nina conditions between
1986 and 2016