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15 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Why it is hotter at the equator than the poles:
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1.The sun heats the Earth unevenly
2.Hot air rises at the equator 3.And begins to flow toward poles 4.Deflection due to Earth’s rotation 5.Winds push/drive the ocean currents = Heat is redistributed |
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The major driving force of atmospheric circulation:
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Atmospheric circulation is driven by convection, which is driven by the sun’s radiation and coriolis effect.
• Heat rises to Equator and cooling sinks to Poles |
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Tropics
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Tropics - Energy dispersed over smaller area
- Large amount of energy absorbed - Small amount of energy reflected |
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Poles
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Poles - Energy dispersed over wider area
-Smaller amount of energy absorbed - Larger amount of energy reflected |
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coriolis effect:
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Coriolis Effect – “apparent” deflection of moving objects due to the rotation of the Earth (since the Earth is a rotating sphere, moving objects (as viewed from Earth) are deflected either to the right or left)
• Deflects to the right in northern hemisphere • Deflects to the left in southern hemisphere •Coriolis is strongest at the poles •Works in all directions • Counter-clockwise rotation = displacement to the right • Clockwise rotation = displacement to the left |
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At what latitudes winds converge and at what latitudes winds diverge:
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Divergence zone – when the sinking air reaches low elevation, it divides, some moving back toward the equator near the surface and some moving north near the surface. A place where sinking air separates into two flows moving in opposite directions
Convergence zone – the air must rise, because there is nowhere for the extra air to go but up. A place where two surface air flows meet so that air has to rise Intertropical convergence zone – the equatorial convergence zone in the atmosphere |
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What distinguishes western boundary currents from eastern boundary currents:
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Western boundary: fast, deep, warm, strong
slow, shallow, cold, weak |
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The three major wind belts and the average wind direction of each belt:
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Polar Easterlies = arrows at the top pointing to the right
Westerlies = arrows in the middle pointing to the left NE Trade Winds – arrows at the bottom pointing to the right |
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Gyre
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– surface currents in the ocean that trace out large circular flow patterns
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Ferrel cell
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mid-latitude cells
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Hadley cell
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low-latitude cells extending from the equator to a latitude of about 30 degrees
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Polar cell
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high-latitude cells
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Northeast trade winds
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– surface winds that come out of the northeast and occur in the region between the equator and 30 degrees North
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Southeast trade winds
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tradewinds in the Southern Hemisphere, which start flowing northward, deflect to the west, and end up flowing from southeast to northwest
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Jet stream
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a fast-moving current of air that flows at high elevations
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