Comprehensive Geography and Oceanography: Troposphere, Climate, and Ocean Currents

What does that indicate about relative ages of deep waters?

North Pacific older than North Atlantic

Climate is defined as variations over time scales greater than?

Greater than a year

How thick is the troposphere?

10 km

At which latitude is the troposphere thickest?

Equator (0°)

What happens if the water vapor concentration in air exceeds the saturation vapor pressure?

It condenses

Can warm air hold more or less water vapor than cold air?

More

Is water vapor (H2O) more or less dense than the primary components of air (N2 and O2)?

Less

Is surface air pressure high or low under warm rising air?

Low

Is surface air pressure high or low under cool sinking air?

High

What major atmospheric feature is associated with persistent cloudiness due to warm rising air?

ITCZ (Intertropical Convergence Zone)

To which direction does the Coriolis effect deflect flow in the northern hemisphere?

Right

What name is given to the east-to-west winds found within 30 degrees of the equator?

Trade Winds

At what latitudes would you expect to find deserts?

30° N and 30° S

Are deserts found at those latitudes because air is rising or sinking?

Sinking

What percentage of solar radiation reaching Earth reaches the ocean surface?

~50%

What is the primary process that carries heat from the oceans back into the atmosphere?

Evaporative heat flux

What are the two types of basic weather patterns?

Cyclones and anticyclones

Where do extra-tropical cyclones typically form?

At the polar fronts

Why don't tropical cyclones form in the tropical south Atlantic or tropical southeast Pacific Oceans?

Water is too cold

At what latitude(s) are sub-polar gyres found?

60° N

In the sub-tropical gyres, are surface water temperatures high or low, and nutrients high or low?

High temperatures, low nutrients

In the sub-polar gyres, are surface water temperatures high or low, and nutrients high or low?

Low temperatures, high nutrients

What is the Warm Pool?

The region of warmest surface water

Where is the Warm Pool found?

Western Pacific near Indonesia

In which geographic direction is Ekman transport associated with the Westerlies over the Antarctic Circumpolar Current?

North

To what depth do wind-driven currents typically extend in the ocean?

100 m

What is the direction of Ekman transport in the northern hemisphere when winds come from the north?

90° to the right of wind

Will the sea surface within the circle between the winds be high, low, or the same?

High

Do geostrophic currents flow parallel or perpendicular to contours of sea surface height?

Parallel

Along the California coast, do winds parallel to the coast blowing toward the equator cause upwelling or downwelling?

Upwelling

Where are the two locations on Earth where deep and bottom waters are formed?

North Atlantic and near Antarctica

Is the water column where deep waters form expected to be weakly or strongly stratified?

Weakly

Where is higher nutrient content found at 3000 m depth, North Atlantic or North Pacific?

North Pacific

What does that indicate about the relative ages of deep waters?

North Pacific older than North Atlantic

How is climate defined?

Variations over time scales greater than a year

What does ENSO stand for?

El Niño Southern Oscillation

Where on Earth is ENSO most pronounced?

Equatorial Pacific

How are the Warm Pool and deep atmospheric convection related?

Convection occurs above the Warm Pool

What happens to the Warm Pool during an El Niño?

Shifts east

What is the name given to the cool phase of ENSO?

La Niña

What is the definition of deep water waves?

Depth greater than wavelength/2

What determines the speed of a deep water wave?

Wavelength or period

How do water particles move as a deep water wave passes?

They trace out circles in the vertical plane

What is the motion of particles below wave base?

No motion

What are the three factors that determine how big waves get under a storm?

Wind speed, duration, fetch

How is wave steepness defined?

Wave height / wavelength

How steep can a deep water wave get before it breaks?

1/7 (about 0.14)

What does it mean that deep water waves are dispersive?

Longer wavelength waves propagate faster

What defines shallow water waves?

Depth less than wavelength/20

What determines the speed of a shallow water wave?

Water depth

How do water particles move as a shallow water wave passes?

They move horizontally back and forth

How does wave speed change as a deep water wave shoals?

Decreases

How would wave height of shallow water waves change due to refraction over a submerged ridge?

Decrease

How would wave height over a valley on the seafloor change?

Increase

What type of breaking wave is most popular with surfers?

Plunging

What is the direction of rip currents relative to the coastline?

Away from the coastline

Where are longshore currents found?

Inshore of where waves break

What is the typical period of a tsunami?

10 minutes

Name one recent major tsunami discussed in class.

2004 Indian Ocean or 2011 Japan

What wave pattern forms when the tide reflects in an estuary?

Standing wave

Is tidal range greatest at a node or anti-node?

Anti-node

In which direction are flood currents directed?

Landward

In which direction are ebb currents directed?

Seaward

Name one way tidal energy is dissipated.

Bottom friction

Where are internal tides likely to be generated?

Where tides propagate over steep topography and stratification is present