Global Circulation currents
warm air at the equator rises
cold air at the poles sink
why can’t air move straight?
Coriolis effect
the earth is rotating and the air is spinning
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Global Circulation currents
warm air at the equator rises
cold air at the poles sink
why can’t air move straight?
Coriolis effect
the earth is rotating and the air is spinning
albedo
percentage of incoming sunlight reflected from a surface
high = more reflected, less absorbed, cooler
low = more absorbed, less reflected, warmer
adiabatic cooling and heating
adiabatic cooling
as warm air rises, its pressure decreases and expands, lowering the temperature of the air
adiabatic warming
that cold air in the higher atmosphere then sinks back to the earth, decreasing in volume, and warming up
latent heat release
sun heats up water and it evaporates
when water vapor condenses into liquid water, it’s released as heat
latent heat release = energy released when water vapor in the atmosphere condenses to liquid
atmospheric convection currents
contributes to different global climates
global patterns of air movement
initiated by the unequal heating of the earth
hadley cell
air at equator tropics warms expands and rises
rising air cools, reaches saturation point, condenses, and falls as rainwater → latent heat release
in troposphere, adiabatic cooling occurs, the cold air is displaced north and south of the equator
sinking air is heated by adiabatic heating
this is why just north and south of the equator are deserts
the warm, dry air flows back to the equator
ITCZ intertropical Convergence Zone
latitude of most intense sunlight, causes the ascending parts of the hadley cells to converge
polar cells
located at the poles
air rises a little bit away from the pole and sinks @ pole
rising air cools, water vapor condenses, precipitates
air dries as it reaches the poles and sinks
then travels back out to 60 degrees N/S and completes the cycle
Ferrell Cells
not as distinct convection cells
driven by circulation of hadley and polar cells
warm air from the hadley cell moves towards the poles
cold air from the polar cell moves toward the equator
contributes to global circulation cells
coriolis effect
deflection of objects that are moving north or south due to the earth’s rotation
trade winds
air is moving really really fast at the equator
as the earth spins to the east, the wind is dragged to the west
polar easterlies
move in the same direction as the trade winds, to the west
polar cell, air circulates from 60 degrees to 90 degrees
air is moving faster at 60 degrees and deflected to the west
westerlies
air is moving from the equator to the poles, but because of the coriolis effect the path is diverted
deflected to the east