Chapter 6 Flashcards
Three levels of atmospheric circulation
Primary circulation refers to general global circulation.
Secondary circulation is related to migratory high-pressure and low-pressure systems.
Tertiary circulation includes local winds and temporal weather patterns.
Meridional flows
move north or south along meridians
Zonal flows
move east or west along parallels of latitude
Atmospheric pressure is ……
the force per unit area exerted against a surface by the weight of air above that surface.
What causes wind
Wind results from a horizontal difference in air pressure.
True or False. Air pressure decreases with increasing altitude?
True
How to measure air pressure?
Aneroid and Mercury Barometers
How to measure wind?
Wind vane, Anemometer
four driving forces within the atmosphere
gravity, pressure gradient force, Coriolis force, and friction force
Local and Reginal Winds
Land–sea breezes
Mountain–valley breezes
Monsoonal winds
Deep-Ocean Thermohaline Circulation
Differences in temperature and salinity produce density differences and thus create deep-ocean thermohaline circulation.
Four primary high-pressure and low-pressure areas
equatorial low-pressure trough,
polar high-pressure cells,
subtropical high-pressure cells,
and sub-polar low-pressure cells.
Coriolis Effect
The Coriolis force deflects a moving object to the right of its moving direction in the Northern Hemisphere, and to its left in the Southern Hemisphere.
