NR 150 1st Edition Lecture 7 Outline of Last Lecture I Water is in constant motion the Hydrologic Cycle II The water molecule III Water exists in three states IV Water has a very high heat capacity V Salinity is s measure of seawater s total dissolved inorganic solids VI VII VIII Gases dissolved in seawater Acid base balance The ocean is stratified by density IX Light does not travel far through the ocean X Sound travels much farther than light in the ocean Outline of Current Lecture XI The atmosphere and the ocean interact with each other XII The solar heating of Earth varies with latitude XIII The solar heating of Earth also varies with seasons XIV Earth s uneven solar heating results in large scale atmospheric circulation XV Surface currents are driven by wind Current Lecture I The atmosphere and the ocean interact with each other a The difference between weather and climate i Weather the state of the atmosphere at a specific time ii Climate the long term statistical sum of weather in an area b The atmosphere is composed mainly of nitrogen oxygen and water vapor i Water vapor occupies up to 4 of the volume of the atmosphere and is a greenhouse gas These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor s lecture GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes not as a substitute ii Humid air is less dense than dry air at the same temperature 1 Molecules of water vapor weigh less than nitrogen and oxygen molecules that the water vapor displaces iii The lower atmosphere is a fairly homogenous mixture of gases iv The density of air is influenced by temperature and water content 1 Unstable air over the warm tropical ocean a As the air rises expands and cools the water vapor it contains condenses into droplets clouds II The solar heating of Earth varies with latitude a The ocean doesn t boil away near the equator or freeze solid near the poles because heat is transferred by winds and ocean currents from equatorial to polar regions b Near the equator there s net heat gain near the poles there s net heat loss III The solar heating of Earth also varies with seasons a Low density of incident rays northern winter b High density of incident rays southern summer c Mid latitude in the northern hemisphere receives 3x as much solar energy in June than in December because of axis tilt i Mid latitude affected by seasons IV Earth s uneven solar heating results in large scale atmospheric circulation a Convection current circular current of air in a room caused by the difference in temperature between the ends of the room b If Earth was not a rotating sphere with smooth uniform surface two atmospheric convection cells would develop c Two factors governing global air circulation i Uneven solar heating ii Circulation cells on a rotating sphere Coriolis effect d The path of moving objects are deflected by the Coriolis effect i To the right clockwise in the northern hemisphere ii To the left counterclockwise in the southern hemisphere iii Influences the movement of air in atmospheric circulation cells 1 At the boundaries between cells the wind moves vertically 2 Doldrums the surface winds of the Hadley cells converge low pressure rising air doldrums same as the Intertropical Convergence Zone ITCZ 3 Horse latitudes between Hadley and Ferrel cells sinking air highpressure zones iv Coriolis effect the observed deflection of a moving object caused by the moving frame of reference on the spinning Earth