unit 7, exam 2

Question 1

speed and direction of ocean currents

Answer 1

surface wind speed and direction
coriolis force
ekman spiral transport
shape of ocean basin

Question 2

ekman transport

Answer 2

piles ocean water up in the middle of the ocean basin causing differences in sea level that yields a pressure gradient, and then eventually geostrophic circulation

Question 3

deep ocean convection

Answer 3

mechanism for sinking ocean water in higher latitudes. The surface temperatures cool the water which then sinks

Question 4

Brine Rejection

Answer 4

mechanism for sinking water in the southern latitudes. surface water freezes the salt is left behind causing both the salinity and density of the water to increase

Question 5

coastal upwelling

Answer 5

ekman transport moves surface waters away from the coast and surface waters are replaced by water that wells up from below-cold-nutrients from depths

Question 6

coastal downwelling

Answer 6

occurs where ekman transport moves surface waters towards the coast the water piles up and sinks-warm-not a lot of nutrients

Question 7

equatorial upwelling

Answer 7

strong tradewinds cause water to diverge, causing upwelling. when lesser winds not as much divergence and waters warmer than normal.

Question 8

walker

Answer 8

trying to predict indian monsoon. discovered an inverse sea saw ossillation of surface P between darwin and Tahiti.

Question 9

walker circulation

Answer 9

the effect of orientaiton of tropical SSTs featuring warm (W) and cold (E) characteristics. shapes a E-W closed cell fo winds similar to N-S hadley cells

Question 10

El NIno

Answer 10

weak trade winds and weak equatorial upwelling. warm phase of pacific ocean T

Question 11

La Nina

Answer 11

strong trade winds and strong equatorial upwelling. cold phase of pacific ocean T

Question 12

temperature threshold for El Nino and La Nina events

Answer 12

5 degrees C

Question 13

ENSO

Answer 13

the net effect between the coupled atmospheric and oceanic pressures associated with teh souther oscillation (walker circulation, el nino, la nina)

Question 14

ENSO variable index

Answer 14

sea level air P
zonal component of surface wind
meridional component of surface wind
surface air T
sky cloud cover
SST

Question 15

El Nino in N. America

Answer 15

reduction of amplitude in pacific jet stream
guides storm track further south
creating wet cool conditions which dry conditions in the north.

Question 16

La Nina in N. America

Answer 16

High amplitude polar jet stream that combines with pacific for strong blocking patterns.
Drives storm track further North
net cool conditions across N and higher lats with dry warm or even wet extend across S and E states.

Question 17

Oscillations

Answer 17

arctic
N. atlantic
pacific decadal
madden-julian

Question 18

arctic oscillation

Answer 18

seasaw variation in air P between N pole and middle lats that change the speed of the polar vortex

Question 19

N. Atlantic oscillation

Answer 19

seasaw variation in air P between iceland and somewhere that influence precipitaiton and T primarily in winter over E N.America and much of europe and N. africa

Question 20

Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO)

Answer 20

long lined variation in climate over the N. pacific ocean and N.A with SST fluctuations between the N central pacific ocean dan the west coast of N.A

Question 21

PDO warm phase

Answer 21

negative index
aleutian low is well developed with strong counter clockwise winds steering mild and drier air masses into the Pacficic NW

Question 22

PDO cool phase

Answer 22

positive index

aleutian cyclone is weaker so cold moist air masses more frequently invade pacific NW.

Question 23

Madden Julian Oscillation

Answer 23

clusters fo conventive thunderstorms develop in the indian and tropical pacific oceans and migrate E across the globe every 30-6- days

• affected by changing SST-prevelant in warm pacific oceans
• can influence enso

Question 24

evidence of warming oceans

Answer 24

coral bleaching
acidification
rising sea level over last century

Question 25

global monsoons

Answer 25

reversal of atmospheric circulation responsible for either suppressing rainfall or enhancing it.