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Chapter 7: Air-Sea Interaction

Chapter 7: Air-Sea Interaction. Fig. 7-20. Atmosphere and ocean one interconnected system Change in atmosphere affects ocean Change in ocean affects atmosphere. Unequal solar heating. Low latitudes receive more solar radiation High latitudes receive less solar radiation.

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Chapter 7: Air-Sea Interaction

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  1. Chapter 7: Air-Sea Interaction Fig. 7-20

  2. Atmosphere and ocean one interconnected system • Change in atmosphere affects ocean • Change in ocean affects atmosphere

  3. Unequal solar heating • Low latitudes receive more solar radiation • High latitudes receive less solar radiation

  4. Equatorial areas excess heat • Polar regions heat deficient Fig. 7-3

  5. Insolation factors • Latitude • Thickness of atmosphere • Albedo • Seasons • Time of day • Vegetation, bare rock, etc.

  6. Atmosphere (troposphere) • N2, O2, Ar • Temperature decreases with increasing altitude • Warm air is less dense than cool air • Moist air is less dense than dry air • Wind flows from high pressure to low pressure

  7. Coriolis Effect • Deflection in motion of moving objects • Rotation of Earth • Important for objects that move long distances/long times • Maximum deflection at poles • Negligible deflection at equator

  8. Atmospheric circulation • Hadley, Ferrel and polar cells • Warm, moist air rises • Equator • Subpolar lows (60o N and S) • Cool, dry air sinks • Subtropical highs (30o N and S) • Polar regions

  9. Cells and surface winds • Surface winds flow from high pressure to low pressure Fig. 7-10

  10. Surface winds • Tradewinds • About 0o to 30o N and S • Northeast (Northern hemisphere) • Southeast (Southern hemisphere) • Westerlies • About 30o to 60o N and S • Polar Easterlies

  11. Idealized 3-cell model • Complicated by • Seasons, tilt • Differences in heat capacities of land and ocean • Uneven distribution of land and ocean • Example: monsoon winds in Asia and Indian Ocean

  12. Local winds and their effects • Sea breeze • Land breeze • Sea fog • Radiation fog

  13. Air masses meet at low pressure Fig. 7-14

  14. Regional winds and storms • Mid-latitude storm systems • Low pressure • Warm front • Cold front Fig. 7-15

  15. Hurricane (tropical cyclone) • Develop over tropical ocean • Warm ocean • Warm, moist air rising • Sufficient Coriolis Effect to cause rotation Fig. 7-17

  16. Tropical cyclones • Destructive high winds, storm surge • Classified by damage done/wind speed • Moved westward by trade winds

  17. Sea ice vs. icebergs • Sea ice frozen seawater • Especially important in Arctic • Pack ice, polar ice, fast ice • Icebergs broken pieces of glacier • Float in ocean • Shelf ice (extremely large plate-like icebergs)

  18. Greenhouse effect • Energy from Sun shorter wavelengths • Energy reradiated from Earth longer wavelengths

  19. Fig. 7-24

  20. Greenhouse gases • Absorb infrared radiation from Earth • Mainly H2O and CO2

  21. Other greenhouse gases • Minor gases: methane, nitrous oxides, ozone, chlorofluorocarbons • Anthropogenic sources of greenhouse gases contribute to global warming • Increase in global temperature • Some natural • Most artificial

  22. CO2 in oceans • CO2 high solubility in seawater • Excess CO2 in atmosphere locked up in oceans • CaCO3 biogenic sediments • Stimulate growth of phytoplankton to use up CO2 in ocean

  23. SOFAR Channel • Sound travels far • Velocity of sound is temperature-dependent • Use sound to measure temperature in much of ocean • ATOC

  24. End of Chapter 7: Air-Sea Interaction

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