Atmospheric and Oceanic
Circulation
Chapter 4--Part 2
3 Forces Affecting Air in Motion
•Pressure Gradient Force
•Coriolis Force
•Friction
Force #1:
The Pressure Gradient Force
• The pressure gradient force is the force exerted by
a gas (in this case, air) at higher pressure trying to
move to an area of lower pressure
• The PGF pulls air out of the high and into the low at
a 90º angle relative to the isobars
• The greater the “slope”, or gradient, between one
pressure region and the next, the faster the air will
move
Where the Isobars are Close Together,
Winds are Faster & Stronger
HEY… Hold ON.
What’s UP with the curving motion?
Force #2:
The Coriolis Force
• A force which causes fluids in motion over
great distances and objects moving at high
speed to be deflected:
to the right in the Northern Hemisphere
to the left in the Southern Hemisphere
(Note: Air acts like a fluid in many ways.)
PGF + Coriolis Force =
“curving” wind
Coriolis Force—doing the math
• The Coriolis force is a force existing in a
rotating coordinate system with constant
angular velocity to a reference frame. It acts
on a body moving in the rotating frame to
deflect its motion sideways.
Formulae (partial - for the mathematically curious)
• In non-vector terms: at a given rate of rotation of the observer, the
magnitude of the Coriolis acceleration of the object is proportional to the
velocity of the object and also to the sine of the angle between the
direction of movement of the object and the axis of rotation.
• The vector formula for the magnitude and direction the Coriolis
acceleration is
where (here and below) is the velocity of the particle in the rotating
system, and is the angular velocity vector (which has magnitude equal
to the rotation rate and is directed along the axis of rotation) of the
rotating system. The equation may be multiplied by the mass of the
relevant object to produce the Coriolis force:
• The × symbols represent cross products. (The cross product does not
commute: changing the order of the vectors changes the sign of the
product.)
• The Coriolis effect is the behavior added by the Coriolis acceleration.
The formula implies that the Coriolis acceleration is perpendicular both
to the direction of the velocity of the moving mass and to the rotation
axis.
• A force which causes fluids in motion over
great distances and objects moving at high
speed to be deflected:
to the right in the Northern Hemisphere
to the left in the Southern Hemisphere
Remember:
Coriolis Force: In The Toilet
• Given the definition of coriolis force, is it
valid to assume that the water in your toilet,
sink, or bathtub will be deflected to the right
while draining?
• A force which causes fluids in motion over
great distances and objects moving at high
speed to be deflected
to the right in the Northern Hemisphere
to the left in the Southern Hemisphere
• A force which causes fluids in motion over
great distances and objects moving at high
speed to be deflected
to the right in the Northern Hemisphere
to the left in the Southern Hemisphere
Geostrophic Winds
• When the Coriolis Force and Pressure
Gradient Force balance one another, winds
spin around a high or low pressure cell,
parallel to the isobars
• These winds occur in the upper atmosphere,
where there is no friction
• They are known as geostrophic winds
Geostrophic winds
Force #3:
Friction
Putting it together:
3 Forces Affecting Air in Motion
Surface winds:
Make a simple drawing
• Be able to draw it in your sleep...
Northern Hemisphere and
Southern Hemisphere Winds
Convergent and Divergent Air
Hadley Cells
A Simplified Global Circulation
Model
The ITCZ
Subtropical Highs
Some are so prominent, they even
have their own special names
Between the ITCZ and the SHPs
are the Trade Winds
The Hadley Cell at Work
The Westerlies
Subpolar Lows
Polar Easterlies
Polar Highs
A Simplified Global Circulation
Model
The Jet Stream(s)
Rossby Waves:
Undulations in the Jet Stream
World Regions with Monsoon Patterns
Monsoons in India and Asia
Minor Monsoons: Australia and W. Africa
Seasonal Movement of the ITCZ
Seasonal Pressure Changes Cause
Seasonal Wind Changes
ITCZ shifts more dramatically over
land than it does over water
41
Multi-year Atmospheric Oscillations
• ENSO--El Niño-Southern Oscillation
–Ocean-Atmosphere connection
• (we will discuss this phenomenon in Chapter 7)
• NAO--North Atlantic Oscillation
–Affects Europe, eastern US, Greenland/Canada
region; no defined pattern
• AO--Arctic Oscillation
–Associated with NAO
• PDO--Pacific Decadal Oscillation
41
El Niño/Southern OscillationEl Niño/Southern Oscillation
(ENSO)(ENSO)
43
NAO--Positive Phase
• Stronger Azores
high and deeper
Icelandic low
• Stronger winter
storms, more of
them to the north
• Mild, wet eastern
U.S.; warm, wet in
N. Europe
• Cold, dry Med., west
Greenland, NE
Canada
44
NAO--Negative Phase
• Weaker Azores high,
Icelandic low
• Reduced PGF =
weaker storms and
less of them
• Cold snaps in
eastern U.S. bring
more snow; cold, dry
in N. Europe
• Wetter Med.;
Greenland, NE
Canada milder
4545
Ocean CurrentsOcean Currents
• Forces driving ocean currentsForces driving ocean currents
–Frictional drag of windFrictional drag of wind
–Coriolis forceCoriolis force
–Temperature, density, and salinity differencesTemperature, density, and salinity differences
–Location of continents and shape of the sea floorLocation of continents and shape of the sea floor
–TidesTides
4545
Warm and Cold Surface CurrentsWarm and Cold Surface Currents
• Direction and temperatureDirection and temperature
Ekman Spiral
(Northern Hemisphere)
wind
Force of
wind on
surface
Coriolis
force
Current
Ekman Transport
49
Upwelling Currents
• Where the net movement of water is away
from the coast, cold, dense water rises up
from the bottom of the ocean to replace the
water that has moved away.
49
50
Downwelling Currents
• Where the net movement of water is toward
the coast, warmer surface water piles up
and pushes down toward the bottom of the
ocean, displacing colder water, below.
50
51
Open-ocean Upwelling
• Near the equator,
upwelling occurs
where surface winds
cause ocean water to
diverge. As surface
waters move apart,
cold bottom water rises
up to replace what’s
been pushed away.
Currents: Thermohaline CirculationCurrents: Thermohaline Circulation

Physical Geography Lecture 06.5 - Atmosphere and Ocean Circulation Pt2 101916

  • 1.
  • 2.
    3 Forces AffectingAir in Motion •Pressure Gradient Force •Coriolis Force •Friction
  • 3.
    Force #1: The PressureGradient Force • The pressure gradient force is the force exerted by a gas (in this case, air) at higher pressure trying to move to an area of lower pressure • The PGF pulls air out of the high and into the low at a 90º angle relative to the isobars • The greater the “slope”, or gradient, between one pressure region and the next, the faster the air will move
  • 4.
    Where the Isobarsare Close Together, Winds are Faster & Stronger HEY… Hold ON. What’s UP with the curving motion?
  • 5.
    Force #2: The CoriolisForce • A force which causes fluids in motion over great distances and objects moving at high speed to be deflected: to the right in the Northern Hemisphere to the left in the Southern Hemisphere (Note: Air acts like a fluid in many ways.)
  • 6.
    PGF + CoriolisForce = “curving” wind
  • 7.
    Coriolis Force—doing themath • The Coriolis force is a force existing in a rotating coordinate system with constant angular velocity to a reference frame. It acts on a body moving in the rotating frame to deflect its motion sideways.
  • 8.
    Formulae (partial -for the mathematically curious) • In non-vector terms: at a given rate of rotation of the observer, the magnitude of the Coriolis acceleration of the object is proportional to the velocity of the object and also to the sine of the angle between the direction of movement of the object and the axis of rotation. • The vector formula for the magnitude and direction the Coriolis acceleration is where (here and below) is the velocity of the particle in the rotating system, and is the angular velocity vector (which has magnitude equal to the rotation rate and is directed along the axis of rotation) of the rotating system. The equation may be multiplied by the mass of the relevant object to produce the Coriolis force: • The × symbols represent cross products. (The cross product does not commute: changing the order of the vectors changes the sign of the product.) • The Coriolis effect is the behavior added by the Coriolis acceleration. The formula implies that the Coriolis acceleration is perpendicular both to the direction of the velocity of the moving mass and to the rotation axis.
  • 9.
    • A forcewhich causes fluids in motion over great distances and objects moving at high speed to be deflected: to the right in the Northern Hemisphere to the left in the Southern Hemisphere Remember:
  • 10.
    Coriolis Force: InThe Toilet • Given the definition of coriolis force, is it valid to assume that the water in your toilet, sink, or bathtub will be deflected to the right while draining?
  • 11.
    • A forcewhich causes fluids in motion over great distances and objects moving at high speed to be deflected to the right in the Northern Hemisphere to the left in the Southern Hemisphere
  • 12.
    • A forcewhich causes fluids in motion over great distances and objects moving at high speed to be deflected to the right in the Northern Hemisphere to the left in the Southern Hemisphere
  • 13.
    Geostrophic Winds • Whenthe Coriolis Force and Pressure Gradient Force balance one another, winds spin around a high or low pressure cell, parallel to the isobars • These winds occur in the upper atmosphere, where there is no friction • They are known as geostrophic winds
  • 14.
  • 15.
  • 16.
    Putting it together: 3Forces Affecting Air in Motion
  • 17.
    Surface winds: Make asimple drawing • Be able to draw it in your sleep...
  • 18.
  • 19.
  • 20.
  • 21.
    A Simplified GlobalCirculation Model
  • 22.
  • 23.
  • 24.
    Some are soprominent, they even have their own special names
  • 25.
    Between the ITCZand the SHPs are the Trade Winds
  • 26.
  • 28.
  • 29.
  • 30.
  • 31.
  • 32.
    A Simplified GlobalCirculation Model
  • 33.
  • 34.
  • 35.
    World Regions withMonsoon Patterns
  • 36.
  • 37.
  • 38.
  • 39.
    Seasonal Pressure ChangesCause Seasonal Wind Changes
  • 40.
    ITCZ shifts moredramatically over land than it does over water
  • 41.
    41 Multi-year Atmospheric Oscillations •ENSO--El Niño-Southern Oscillation –Ocean-Atmosphere connection • (we will discuss this phenomenon in Chapter 7) • NAO--North Atlantic Oscillation –Affects Europe, eastern US, Greenland/Canada region; no defined pattern • AO--Arctic Oscillation –Associated with NAO • PDO--Pacific Decadal Oscillation 41
  • 42.
    El Niño/Southern OscillationElNiño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO)(ENSO)
  • 43.
    43 NAO--Positive Phase • StrongerAzores high and deeper Icelandic low • Stronger winter storms, more of them to the north • Mild, wet eastern U.S.; warm, wet in N. Europe • Cold, dry Med., west Greenland, NE Canada
  • 44.
    44 NAO--Negative Phase • WeakerAzores high, Icelandic low • Reduced PGF = weaker storms and less of them • Cold snaps in eastern U.S. bring more snow; cold, dry in N. Europe • Wetter Med.; Greenland, NE Canada milder
  • 45.
    4545 Ocean CurrentsOcean Currents •Forces driving ocean currentsForces driving ocean currents –Frictional drag of windFrictional drag of wind –Coriolis forceCoriolis force –Temperature, density, and salinity differencesTemperature, density, and salinity differences –Location of continents and shape of the sea floorLocation of continents and shape of the sea floor –TidesTides 4545
  • 46.
    Warm and ColdSurface CurrentsWarm and Cold Surface Currents • Direction and temperatureDirection and temperature
  • 47.
    Ekman Spiral (Northern Hemisphere) wind Forceof wind on surface Coriolis force Current
  • 48.
  • 49.
    49 Upwelling Currents • Wherethe net movement of water is away from the coast, cold, dense water rises up from the bottom of the ocean to replace the water that has moved away. 49
  • 50.
    50 Downwelling Currents • Wherethe net movement of water is toward the coast, warmer surface water piles up and pushes down toward the bottom of the ocean, displacing colder water, below. 50
  • 51.
    51 Open-ocean Upwelling • Nearthe equator, upwelling occurs where surface winds cause ocean water to diverge. As surface waters move apart, cold bottom water rises up to replace what’s been pushed away.
  • 52.