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Geology 150: Climate Change > Atmosphere/Ocean Relationship > Flashcards

Atmosphere/Ocean Relationship Flashcards

1
Q

Warm surface currents are heat _______. Cold surface currents are heat ________.

A

sources; sinks

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2
Q

True or False: Oceans are a net-sink for C02

A

True

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3
Q

What 3 factors determine C02 uptake in the ocean?

A

Temperature
Partial Pressure
Biological Uptake

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4
Q

Describe the “biological pump”

A

Sunlight (the source of energy) and plants living at the surface of the ocean. The plants take up the C02 to photosynthesize. Once the plant dies, it falls through the water column and gets eaten by water animals. Those animals extract the energy from the organic matter and and release it as 0_2 (respiration)

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5
Q

What is Henry’s Law?

A

the solubility of a gas in a liquid is directly proportional to the partial pressure of the gas above the liquid

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6
Q

Is CO2 more or less soluble in cold water?

A

More

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7
Q

Respiration _____ C02. Photosynthesis _______ C02.

A

produces; consumes

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8
Q

What’s the rotational velocity of the earth?

A

1600km/h

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9
Q

True or False: Higher latitudes moves slower than lower latitudes

A

True

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10
Q

Two things that affect the magnitude of the Coriolis Effect?

A
  1. How fast the Earth is rotating

2. How fast the object is moving over the surface

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11
Q

Define high/low pressure

A

> 1013 mb = High pressure

< 1013 mb = Low Pressure

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12
Q

The jet stream is an example of what kind of wind?

A

Geostrophic wind

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13
Q

Geostrophic Wind

A

Moves packages of air around the atmosphere at altitudes above the atmospheric boundary layer

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14
Q

Boundary layer

A

the lower region of the troposphere where the land surface is interacting with the winds.

(Confined below an average altitude of 1000m so responds to surface forcings with a time scale of 1 hour or less)

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15
Q

________ force combines with the Coriolis force to balance the horizontal pressure gradient force

A

Frictional

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16
Q

True/False: Friction’s influence on the horizontal wind increases with altitude

A

False

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17
Q

What effect does friction have on the Coriolis Effect?

A

Friction slows down the wind, weakening the Coriolis force

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18
Q

Cyclone

A

the spiral around a low pressure region.

Characterized by stormy weather

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19
Q

Anticyclone

A

the spiral around a high pressure region

Characterized by dry, clear skies

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20
Q

What is the Jet Stream? Does it strengthen or weaken in the winter? Does it shift north or south in the summer?

A

Strengthens in the winter

Shifts to the north in the summer

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21
Q

How does the ocean interact with the atmosphere and on what spatial and temporal scales

A

The way in which the atmosphere influences the ocean as a whole is by the transfer of energy between the mixed layer to the lower layers

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22
Q

What role does Ekman transport play in ocean gyres and coastal zones

A

Upwelling/Downwelling affects the amount of C02 the ocean absorbs and emits

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23
Q

Difference between La Nina and El Nino. Which is the cause of more upwelling? Less?

A

La Nina: More upwelling in Eastern Equatorial Pacific as a result of trade winds intensifying
El Nino: Less upwelling in Eastern Equatorial Pacific as a result of trade winds weakening

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24
Q

True/False: Water on the western rim of the Pacific is much warmer than the eastern rim

A

True

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25
Q

Two Properties of Seawater that define its composition

A

Temperature

Salinity

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26
Q

Deep ocean circulation driven by variations in density

A

Thermohaline Circulation

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27
Q

Brine

A

as water freezes, it rejects the salt. That buildup is called a brine.

28
Q

Ekman Spiral

A

the way the ocean responds to the wind blowing above it. A steady wind causes surface waters to move at an angle of 45 degrees

29
Q

Through a depth of about 500 feet (100-150m), the net water movement due to the Ekman spiral will be at ____ degrees to the right of the wind direction

A

90

30
Q

During La Nina, the high-pressure cell in the northern hemisphere subtropics (strengthens/weakens)?

A

strengthens

31
Q

The net Ekman transport will be at ____ degrees to the ______

A

90; left

32
Q

Effects of the Ekman transport

A
  1. changes height of the surface
  2. creates gradients in air pressure
  3. the winds balance the magnitude of the Coriolis effect
33
Q

Geostrophic ocean current

A

the winds balancing the magnitude of the Coriolis effect. Defines the boundary of east and west currents

34
Q

Upwelling

A

where Ekman transport moves surface waters away from the coast and surface waters are replaced by waters are replaced by water that wells up from below

35
Q

Adding water vapor (increases/decreases) air density per unit volume

A

decreases since when vapor content increases, oxygen and nitrogen are decreasing, thus reducing the mass of the air

36
Q

Gyre

A

large-scale systems of rotating currents

37
Q

Currents that flow on the eastern boundary are called _________. They flow from ______ latitudes to _______ latitudes in the northern hemisphere.

A

eastern boundary currents.

Flow from north to south in northern hemisphere (higher to lower latitudes) and the opposite in the southern hemisphere

38
Q

Currents that flow on the western boundary:

A

western boundary currents

Currents that are warm, deep and fast flowing on the west side of ocean basins and carry water from the tropics poleward, faster than the eastern counterpart

Ex. jet stream

39
Q

The Coriolis Force

A

free-moving objects affected by the earth’s rotation

  • apparent deflective force
  • increases w/ speed
  • to the “right” in the northern hemisphere
40
Q

The magnitude of the Coriolis force varies with ______

A

latitude.

41
Q

Coriolis Effect changes an object’s speed

A

False. It only changes its direction

42
Q

Newton’s first law of motion

A

a moving object remains constant in a straight-line motion unless acted upon

43
Q

What is viscosity and what are the two types?

A

Viscosity is a resisting force (friction)

The two types of viscosity are molecular and eddy (large irregular motions in fluids).

44
Q

Eddies

A

visible swirls in fluids. (A type of friction)

45
Q

Gravity

A

force of attraction between Earth and another object with a magnitude directly proportional between to the product of the masses of Earth and the object

46
Q

True/False: Gravity always acts directly downward

A

True. Does not affect horizontal wind. Influences vertical air (updrafts/downdrafts in convection winds)

47
Q

True/False: Gravity is responsible for the downhill drainage of cold, dense air

A

True

48
Q

Horizontal Pressure Gradient

A

Responsible for initiating all air motion. Perpendicular to isobars away from regions of high air pressure to areas of low pressure

49
Q

The _______(closer/further) the spacing of isobars, the ________(greater/less) the magnitude of the pressure gradient force.

A

closer;greater

50
Q

The 4 forces that act on atmospheric circulation

A
  1. Horizontal Pressure Gradient
  2. Coriolis Force
  3. Friction
  4. Gravity
51
Q

The Hadley Cell

A

The cell that operates between the equator and 30 degrees N

52
Q

The ______cell collides with the extremely cold air from the ________

A

Ferrel ; Polar

53
Q

Gradient wind

A

a large-scale horizontal and frictionless wind blowing parallel to the isobars.
Influenced by the horizontal pressure gradient and the Coriolis force

54
Q

True/False: Due to friction, near surface air crosses isobars at an angle

A

True

55
Q

Due to the roughness of Earth’s surface, friction _____ (speeds up/slows) the horizontal wind and shifts the direction across isobars and towards ______(higher/lower) pressure.

A

slows ; lower

56
Q

What is Daltons Law

A

the air pressure is a function of all the vapors that make up the atmospheric volume

57
Q

What is the weight of air pressure on the surface?

A

14.69psi

58
Q

What two factors affect air pressure?

A
  1. Mass

2. Density

59
Q

What’s the ideal gas law?

A

Ideal Gas Law PV =nRT

60
Q

The point at which the atmosphere can hold no more water

A

Saturation

61
Q

compares the actual amount of water vapor in the air with the amount of water vapor that would be present if the air was completely saturated

A

What is relative hunidity

62
Q

True/False: Probability of cloud development increases as the relative humidity nears saturation

A

True

63
Q

Front

A

narrow zone of transition between two air masses that differ in temp, humidity or both

64
Q

Orographic lifting

A

where air is forced upward by topography, the physical relief of the land

65
Q

Cold front

A

cold, dry air displaces warm humid air by sliding under it and forcing the warm air upward

Geology 150: Climate Change (5 decks)

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