Wind & Ocean Currents

A set of vocabulary flashcards based on the lecture notes for Geography 1301 focusing on wind and ocean currents.

What is wind?

Horizontal movement of air from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure.

Trade Winds

By far the most reliable of all winds, they are extremely consistent in both direction and speed.

Which atmospheric circulation cells generate the Westerlies?

Ferrel Cells.

From which direction do the Trade Winds blow?

East to West; from Northeast in the Northern Hemisphere, Southeast in the Southern Hemisphere.

What causes the Coriolis Effect?

The rotation of Earth on its axis.

Which wind belt is associated with Hadley Cells?

The Trade Winds.

What causes the ITCZ (Intertropical Convergence Zone)?

The convergence of Northeast and Southeast Trade Winds, driven by intense solar heating near the Equator that forces warm, moist air to rise.

Why did sailors fear the Subpolar Low or Polar Front?

Intense frequent storms and violent seas due to the clash of warm, moist air from Westerlies with freezing, dry air from Polar Easterlies.

Which atmospheric circulation cells generate the Polar Easterlies?

Polar Cells.

How does the Coriolis Effect influence wind belts?

It deflects the path of winds, preventing them from blowing straight North or South; moving air is deflected to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere.

Which aspect of the general circulation of the atmosphere is associated with deserts?

Subtropical Highs.

What generates the Polar High?

Intense cold at the poles.

Where is the ITCZ located?

Near the Equator, shifting depending on seasons.

Which ocean current cools the South Atlantic influencing tropical cyclone formation?

The Benguela Current.

Which ocean current moderates the winters of Western Europe?

The North Atlantic Drift (an extension of the Gulf Stream).

Which ocean current cools the southeast Pacific influencing tropical cyclone formation?

The Peru/Humboldt Current.

Which ocean current moderates the Pacific Coast of the USA?

The California Current.