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Ocean Circulation and Climate (Greenhouse Effect (Earth's atmosphere…
Ocean Circulation and Climate
El Nino
El Nino occurs in the western and eastern Pacific Ocean
The cause of the El Nino is weak trade winds due to a change in pressure gradient
The El Nino causes extreme weather events across the globe because the atmosphere is constantly moving
Weather/Climate
Weather is the state of the atmosphere at a specific time and place; It is described in terms of temp, cloud coverage, precipitation, wind speed
Climate is the average of weather values over a 30-year period
Climate dictates an area's geographical distribution of plants and animals, the length of growing seasons, etc. It also encompasses the frequency and patterns of extreme weathers events, such as hurricanes, tropical storms, and snowstorms
both powered by the sun
Global Radiative Equilibrium
definition: balance between incoming solar radiation and the infrared heat waves radiated back into space
Greenhouse Effect
Earth's atmosphere is transparent to incoming solar radiation, but less transparent to outgoing infrared radiation
outgoing infrared radiation is absorbed by greenhouse gases and is radiated back to Earth in the form of heat
greenhouse gases: water vapor (must abundant), methane, carbon dioxide, ozone, and nitrous oxide
almost all the solar radiation that hits the ocean is absorbed and it moderates the effects of solar radiation as it hits the surface of the Earth by cooling or warming the air above the ocean and affects the climate of the regions
since water vapor is a greenhouse gas, warming of the ocean accelerates climate change
ENSO (El Nino Southern Oscillation)
it is a cyclic weather pattern and it changes in each stage of the cycle
each stage begins with a change in pressure gradient over the Southern Pacific Ocean and triggers changes in:
strength and direction of the prevailing wind pattern
air pressure gradient
sea surface temperature (SST)
upwelling currents
depth and steepness of the thermocline
sea level
ocean productivity
all phases affect climate and weather across the globe
Neutral Phase of ENSO jk go on word document
Air pressure gradient
high over the central and eastern tropical ocean to low in the western tropical ocean
Trade winds
blow from the south to southeast along the western coast of South America, driving warm surface water westward toward Australia and Indonesia
Thermocline
increased d