Geography 100 - Week 6 Assignment

What causes the Coriolis force?

The earth's rotation

Drag the appropriate labels to their respective targets. The pink labels are surface temperature conditions for land and sea. The blue labels are for ascending/descending air and breeze conditions (arrows).

(Left; Top) - Cool air descends (Left; Bottom) - Cooler surface temperatures (higher pressure) (Right; Top) - Warm air rises and cools (Right; Middle) - Warmer surface temperatures (lower pressure) (Right; Bottom) - Offshore breeze

What is a Hadley cell?

A large convection cell of air that rises near the equator due to heating of air

What process cools air as it rises above the equator?

Adiabatic cooling

Which areas of Earth experience the most precipitation?

Areas near the ITCZ

What are jet streams?

Bands of high-speed wind found at elevations of 9-15 km

Where are the two main hemispheric jet streams located?

Between 50 and 60 degrees latitude and at about 30 degrees latitude

Which of the following relationships is most accurate regarding global atmospheric circulation and warm ocean currents in January?

Both winds and warm ocean currents show a counterclockwise circulation in the south Atlantic.

When a ball is thrown in a stationary position, there is very little deflection in its path due to Coriolis effect, far too small for you to notice. But if the ball is thrown in motion, it will be deflected. You will relate the concept of the Coriolis force to a game of catch. The two-dimensional figure shows a game of catch played on a merry-go-round by nine children (the image is viewed from the South Pole). The alphabet A-H indicates the positions of eight children on the merry-go-round with the nineth child in the center. The arrows show the direction of rotation of the merry-go-round, which moves with a constant speed, moves with a constant speed causing a shift of 45∘. Assuming a child sitting in the center attempts to throw the ball directly to child D, which child will likely catch the ball?

C

What type of weather would you expect to encounter along the polar front?

Cloudy conditions and abundant precipitation

What type of weather would you expect to encounter along the intertropical convergence zone?

Cloudy conditions and high rainfall

_____ currents are circular movements of rising and descending air.

Convectional

Which of the following forces works to create cyclonic and anticyclonic wind circulation patterns?

Coriolis effect surface friction pressure gradient

When would you expect the low-pressure cell over Greenland to be most developed?

During the Northern Hemisphere winter

Surface ocean currents ___.

Form large rotating gyres in the major ocean basins Are influenced by Coriolis effect Are driven by winds

How does wind generally move?

From areas of higher atmospheric pressure toward areas of lower atmospheric pressure

Drag the appropriate labels to their respective targets. Each label may be used only once.

From left to right: Convergent, counterclockwise (L 998) Divergent, counterclockwise (H 1022) Divergent, clockwise (H) Convergent, clockwise (L 982)

One of the world's most powerful currents, located off the east coast of the United States, is the __________.

Gulf Stream

The current in the northwestern part of the North Atlantic Subtropical Gyre that transports warm water toward the North Atlantic is called the __________.

Gulf Stream

What drives Hadley cell circulation?

Heating from the Sun

Which of the following is true regarding sea level pressure and winds over central Asia in January?

High pressure; clockwise circulation in the Northern Hemisphere

Where are Hadley cells found?

In the atmosphere near the equator

What causes friction forces?

Interaction between wind and surrounding atmosphere

What features are found near the subtropical high-pressure systems?

Large desert systems

What are Rossby waves?

Major undulations in the path of a jet stream

Over which of the following states is a center of high pressure located?

New Mexico

The Gulf Stream transports warm water into the __________.

North Atlantic

A deep and powerful southward subsurface current that flows under the Gulf Stream in the North Atlantic is the __________.

North Atlantic Deep Water

What is the prevailing wind direction over Delhi during January?

Northeast

Earth rotates about its axis and all objects on its surface are constantly moving around in a large circle in space. The Earth's oceans and atmosphere are also spinning around with Earth at the same rate. The Coriolis effect may therefore seem predominant, but not all objects are influenced by it and not all the influences get noticed. Which of the following are influenced by Coriolis effect.

Ocean currents Helicopter, on a flight

Which of the follow statements reflects that respective region's climate?

San Francisco has dry summers and wet winters.

How does the location of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) change over time?

The ITCZ migrates south of the equator in Northern Hemisphere winter and north of the equator in Northern Hemisphere summer.

What is the Coriolis Effect?

The deflection of moving objects to the right in the Northern Hemisphere, and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere

What causes the pressure gradient force?

The difference in atmospheric pressure from one location to another

What is the intertropical convergence zone?

The region of rising air and low pressure near the equator

What two features are many of Earth's deserts associated with?

The subtropical highs and cool ocean currents found along the west coasts of continents

Where are the jet streams located?

The subtropical jet is located above the subtropical high, and the polar jet is located above the Polar Front.

Where on Earth would you find the trade winds and the westerlies?

The trade winds occur between 30º N and 30º S. The westerlies occur in the midlatitude regions of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

How can the jet stream return to normal zonal flow after Rossby waves build?

Through separation of a mass of cold air from the jet stream

How does the Coriolis force deflect objects in the atmosphere, relative to their original paths?

To the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere

How would a moving object in Earth's atmosphere be deflected as a result of Earth's rotation?

To the right in the Northern Hemisphere, and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere

Which way would an airplane deflect if flying from the South Pole toward the equator?

Toward the left

Which direction would an airplane deflect if flying across South Africa from the west coast to the east coast?

Toward the north

Which way would an airplane deflect if flying from the East Coast of the United States toward the West Coast of the United States?

Toward the north

Which way would an airplane deflect if flying from the North Pole toward the equator?

Toward the right

Which way would an airplane deflect if flying from the West Coast of the United States toward the East Coast of the United States?

Toward the south

Which way would an airplane deflect if flying from the east coast of South Africa toward the west coast of South Africa?

Toward the south

Which way would an airplane deflect if flying from the North Pole toward the equator?

Toward the west

In which direction do jet streams generally travel?

West to east

How would wind move if Coriolis and friction forces did not exist?

Wind would move directly from areas of high atmospheric pressure to areas of low atmospheric pressure.

How would wind move if pressure gradient and Coriolis forces did not exist?

Wind would not move.

How would wind move if pressure gradient and friction forces did not exist?

Wind would not move.

Warm ocean currents ___.

are warmer than the surrounding water

The main difference between climate and weather could be succinctly stated as __________.

climate is what you expect over the long term, weather is what you get day-to-day

When a meander from the Gulf Stream pinches off into the warm water south of the current, the eddy is called a __________.

cold-core eddy or ring

During the day, air above sea is _____ than it is above land

cooler

During El Niño, what is the main force driving the bulge of warm water across the equator from Indonesia to South America?

coriolis effect

The loss of heat from the ocean surface, resulting in a lowered temperature, causes ocean water to become __________.

denser

Equatorial currents that are part of the subtropical gyres flow ___. Equatorial counter currents between the gyres flow ___ .

east to west; west to east

Ocean frontal systems that spin off from currents such as the Gulf Stream, akin to atmospheric storms, are known as __________.

eddies

Cool ocean currents ___.

generally flow from high latitudes towards the equator

A large system of rotating ocean currents, usually driven by the major wind belts, is called a(n)

gyre

Fluctuations in the flow of the Gulf Stream current result in curving loops of water known as __________.

meanders

In the United States, El Niño affects places that otherwise ___________ by redirecting and concentrating storms, not necessarily by increasing the number of storms or amount of moisture.

might have been drier

Land-to-sea breezes (local winds) occur during _____.

nighttime

Sea-to-land breezes blow in an _____ direction

onshore

The subtropical gyres ___.

play a large role in climate

Deep ocean currents ___.

result from changes in water density (due to temperature and salt content)

Thermohaline circulation in the ocean is driven primarily by differences in __________ and __________ among water masses.

temperature; salinity

Indication of a strong El Niño event usually begins with ___________.

warmer ocean water along the western coast of South America