Studied by 5 people
APES 2024
As Earth rotates its surface moves
Much faster at the equator than in mid-latitude and polar regions
The faster rotation speeds found closer to the equator cause
Objects that are moving directly north or south to deflect
Prevailing wind patterns
Produced by a combination of atmospheric convention currents and the coriolis effect
Coriolis effect
The deflection of an objects path due to the rotation of Earth
The prevailing winds of the world are produced by a combination of
Atmospheric convection currents and the coriolis effect
Insolation
Incoming solar radiation, Earth’s main source of energy and is dependent on season and latitude
The angle of the sun’s rays determine
The intensity of solar radiation
Due to the shape of the Earth
The latitude that is directly horizontal to the solar radiation recieves the most intensity
The highest solar radiation per unit area recieved is at
The equator and decreases towards the poles
Albedo
The percentage of the incoming solar energy that it reflects
Lighter objects have high albedos
Ex. snow & ice
Darker objects have low albedos
Ex. forests & asphalt (they absorb solar energy rather than reflecting it.
Climate
The average weather that occurs in a given region over a long period of time
Weather
The short-term conditions of the atmosphere in a local area
Weather includes
Temperature
Humidity
Clouds
Precipitation
Wind speed
Rain-shadow
A region with dry condition found on the windward side of a mountain range as a result of humid winds from the ocean causing precipitation on the windward side
Ocean currents are driven by
A combination of temperature, gravity, prevailing winds, the coriolis effect, and the locations of the continents
Warm water
Expands and rises
Gyre
A large-scale pattern of water circulation that moves clockwise in the northern hemisphere and counter-clockwise in the southern hemisphere
Upwelling
The upward movement of ocean water toward the surfaces as a result of diverging currents
Diverging currents in upwellings
Wind pushes the water away and more water rises up to replace it brining nutrients
Nutrients from uppwellings are
Brought up from the bottom of the ocean and supports large populations of producers, which in turn supports large populations of fish
Upwellings occur in
The open ocean and along coastlines
Downwelling
Occurs where surface currents converge and surface water sinks
Down wellings also occur
When water on the surface is denser than water below it, so it sinks
Seawater gets
Denser when it gets colder and saltier
Denser seawater occurs near
The poles since the cold water cools the water, ice forms and water becomes saltier due to water freezing, salt is left behind
Dense seawater gives
Oxygen to deeper water
Thermohaline circulation
An oceanic circulation pattern that darins the mixing of surface water and deep water
The process of thermohaline circulation
is crucial for moving heat an dnutrients around the globe
Thermohaline circulation seems to be driven by
Surface waters that contain unusually large amounts of salt
The sinking of dense, salty water in the North Atlantic drives a
Deep cold current that moves slowly around the world
Some water that flows from the Gulf of Mexico to the North Atlantic freezes or
evapotates, and the salt that remains behind increases the salt concentration of the water so it sinks to the bottom of the ocean, mixing with deeper ocean waters
These 2 processes create the movement necessary to drive a deep cold current that slowly moves past Antarctica and Northward to the Northern Pacific Ocean
Freezing and evaporation of water that flows from the Gulf of Mexico to the North Atlantic
Note
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