Midterm 1 Flashcards
Where it the hearing higher due to solar radiation?
The tropics
Where is higher the latent heat flux and what is its sign (- or +)?
Latent heat flux is higher in the subtropics and it is always negative (always out)
What is the Wien’s law?
It states that the black body radiation curve for different temperatures peaks at a wavelength inversely proportional to the temperature
What are the units of heat flux?
Watts/m2
1 watt = 1J/s
How can we calculate heat in a water parcel?
Heat = rho x V x T x specific heat
What is potential temperature and how it changes compare to in-situ temperature?
Potential temperature is the temperature of water when the effect of heat through compression in removed. It is always lower than in-situ temperature
What means “adiabatically”?
It means without gain or loss of heat
What are the components of the Total Heat Flux?
Qs= shortwave radiation Qb= longwave radiation Qh= sensible heat Qe= latent heat Qv= advection
What is new in the TEOS-10?
The new thing is absolute salinity, a correction to practical salinity. Some “salts” are not conductive therefore conductivity has an error. It also includes conservative temperature instead of potential temperature
What drives surface salinity?
Evaporation - Precipitation
E-P is higher in the subtropics
Does the North Pacific have an intermediate water mass and how is it created?
Yes, it is created due to high precipitation
Why is oxygen not a conservative water tracer?
Because of bacterial respiration
Density depends on what variables?
Temperature
Salinity
Pressure
In terms of water masses, what does density determine?
It determines the depth at which a water mass will sink and move through isopycnal surfaces
Density increases or decreases with depth?
Density INCREASES with depth
What is Static Stability?
Static stability (E) is a measure of the tendency of a water column to overturn (mix vertically)
When is the water stable, neutral and unstable?
E>0 STABLE
E
What is the Equation of the Brunt-Väisälä frequency?
N2 = gE = -g/rho drho/dz
Units are radients2/sec2
Where are the highest values of N2?
At the base of the mix layer
What is the SOFAR channel?
It is an area around 799 dbar where the sound speed reaches a minimum, although it can travel longer distances due to the change of speed sound from temperature to density
What are the mains ocean layer?
- Upper Ocean
- Surface mix layer
- Main thermocline - Intermediate layer
- Deep layer
- Bottom layer
What are the intermediate water layers in the Atlantic Ocean?
Antarctic Intermediate Water
Mediterranean Intermediate Water
Labrador Sea Intermediate Water
What are the intermediate water masses in the Pacific Ocean?
Antarctic Intermediate Water
North Pacific Intermediate Water
What are the MAIN water masses in the Atlantic Ocean?
Antarctic Bottom Water
Antarctic Intermediate Water
North Atlantic Deep Water
Mediterranean Intermediate Water
Labrador Sea Intermediate Water
What are the MAIN water masses in the Pacific Ocean?
Lower Circumpolar Deep Water
Pacific Deep Water
North Pacific Intermediate Water
Antarctic Intermediate Water
What are the MAIN water masses in the Indian Ocean?
Lower Circumpolar Deep Water
Antarctic Intermediate Water
Red Sea Intermediate Water
Indian Ocean Deep Water
Name three different characteristics of the Surface Mix Layer
Depends on cooling and mixing
Uniform T, S and Density
Wind stirring and cooling makes it deeper during winter
Seasonal Thermocline on top of it because of Sea Surface hearing, it gets capped
What is the different between Eulerian and Langrangian measurements?
Eurelian are fixed-location measurements
Langrangian measurements follow the flow
Name three different pieces of equipment to measure temperature and salinity and state one advantage
CTD: great water column detailed data
RAFOS-SOFAR floats: data for long periods of time
ARGO floats: repeat profiling of water column
What type of equipment is used to measure currents?
Acoustic doppler
Moorings
Drifters
Name the sources of energy in the planet earth
Solar radiation
Geothermal
Gravity
What happens to the Surplus radiation from the tropics?
Gets transferred to the poles where there is a deficit, and it is driven by ocean currents and atmosphere
What is the area of the world where most heat is absorbed by the ocean?
Tropical Pacific Ocean - more area
What is the region with the highest precipitation?
Tropics
What is the region with the highest evaporation?
Subtropics, especially the North Atlantic
Where is the evaporation higher? Ocean or Land?
Ocean
In terms of E-P what happens on land?
On land the precipitation is higher than the evaporation and the excess of water goes back to the ocean as runoff
What hemisphere has an excess of precipitation and what happens to that excess?
The Southern Hemisphere and it gets transported to the northern hemisphere
Which part of the world has the greatest fresh water transport and where does it go?
The fresh water flux is larger in the Atlantic and flows into the Indian and Pacific Oceans
How is the transport of fresh water defined?
It is defined as water with salinity below average
Is the salt in the ocean in steady state? Explain
The salt is in almost steady state since part of the salt in the ocean gets buried in the sediments so salt is relatively constant through time
Between the North Atlantic and the North Pacific which region has a higher evaporation? Why is so?
The North Atlantic has a much bigger evaporation because is warmer even at higher latitudes due to the meridional overturning circulation
What happens in the North Atlantic with the high evaporation?
Extremely cold winds evaporate the North Atlantic water making it saltier and denser and it sinks creating the North Atlantic Deep Water
What is the adiabatic lapse rate?
Is the rate of change of temperature per unit of pressure
In addition to the tides, the mix layer is maintained by:
Solar radiation, which warms the surface layer and causes stratification
Wind stirring
What are the terms in the Equation of State that start with alpha, beta and kappa?
Alpha = thermal expansion coefficient (+)
Beta = haline contraction coefficient (+)
Kappa = adiabatic compressibility (+)
