Understanding Atmospheric Circulation: PGEOG 361 Assignment 1

Claire Bilicki PGEOG 361 Assignment 1 ACTIVITY A Figure 1 In Figure 1, the latitude is 23.66°N, and the longitude is 147.10°W. The wind speed is 29 kilometers per hour, and the direction is 90°. Figure 2 The lowest point near Figure 1 is right near Hawaii, at 19.24°N, 157.06 °W with a wind speed of 2 km/h.

Claire Bilicki PGEOG 361 Assignment 1 Figure 3 The fastest wind speed is where the air is flowing to a point, which is 62 km/h at 16.68°N, 124.41°W. The air near this point seems to be flowing into this central area, as described in the activity as “water flowing to a drain. Figure 4 Conversely, Approximately 15°N from my previous point, there are a few air currents that seem to be flowing away from this point. Figure 5

Claire Bilicki PGEOG 361 Assignment 1 A zoomed-out view of Figures 1-4. Figures 1-5 answer questions 1-7. These first questions seek to help the reader understand and discover the atmospheric circulation of air that takes place on the earth’s surface. Figure 6 Figure 7 Figure 8. At latitude 7.69°N 156.43°W, we have a temperature of 24.7°C. Moving to the right to 161.05°W, and keeping the same latitude, we

Your preview ends here

Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version

Access to all documents
Unlimited textbook solutions
24/7 expert homework help

Claire Bilicki PGEOG 361 Assignment 1 have a temperature of 26.1°C. Moving to the left only in longitude, we have a temperature of 27.5°C.This is a difference of 1.4 and 2.8°C, respectively. Warmer air below this region appears to be flowing toward this patch of cooler air, the warm air rising due to low density. There is also some air moving out of the cool spot. This air is of higher pressure than the warmer air around it, so it desires to move fill the areas of lower pressure surrounding it, which contain less dense warm air. Figure 9 Figure 10 Figure 11 At a latitude of about 58.40° N, we find a pocket of warmer air with cooler temperatures located to the left and right. At 58.40°N, the temperature is 25.1°C at 120.69°W, differing about 4.7°C cooler to the left at 123.20°W. To the right, at 116.89°W, there is a temperature difference of 3.4°C, from 25.1°C to 21.7°C. Cooler air from the left is moving into the warmer air at the point in Figure 9. Cooler air from the right shifts its path slightly to move into the warmer patch at Figure 9, but the general direction of the airflow seems to be rising to the North Pole. However, I did notice a slight movement of the air into this warmer tongue that I have found.

Claire Bilicki PGEOG 361 Assignment 1 The trend in these two instances is that warm, less dense, lower-pressure air flows toward areas with more dense, higher-pressure cold air, due to the excess heat energy. Temperature differences certainly appear more pronounced on land. In part due to geographic features like mountains, it is easier to notice great temperature differences from left to right on land. Water is able to maintain a more constant temperature, because it has a greater ability to retain heat, and loses heat more slowly than land. Figure 12 Figure 13 Figure 14 Figures 12-14 show a pocket of cooler water with warmer water at the same latitude both to the left and to the right. From 23.57°N 62.74°W to 23.58°N 68.46°W, there is a temperature difference of 2°C. From 23.57°N 62.74°W to 23.58°N 57.68°W, there is a temperature difference of 1.8°C. The warmer currents surrounding the point in Figure 12 are moving up away from the equator, and the currents of the cool tongue are moving towards the equator. However, this is hard to discern, as the current move in more circular swirling patterns than the air currents did. They seem to have more occurrences of the “water swirling in a drain” movement. ACTIVITY B Figure 15

Claire Bilicki PGEOG 361 Assignment 1 Here is a band of low pressure located near the equator. At this point, the pressure is 1006 hPa, which is 6 hPa lower than the average. You can see air from the surrounding areas of high pressure flowing into this band of low pressure. Air must be rising from these low-pressure areas, because it is less dense than the higher-pressure air coming from above. Figure 16 Here we have a high-pressure area in the South Pole, with a pressure of 1067 hPa. Air is flowing out of this area. Here at the South Pole, the air is falling, or sinking. This is due to the air’s higher pressure, which is also very dense, weighing it down. The difference in temperature can explain the behavior of the air in these respective areas. With this idea that warm air rises and cold air falls, this difference in temperature is what propels the convection cells. The differing temperatures equate to the different amounts of solar radiation at different points on Earth’s surface. The theory that heat energy must move from areas of excess to areas of deficit (as stated by the author in the activity) is what causes the air to move in this way.

Your preview ends here

Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version

Access to all documents
Unlimited textbook solutions
24/7 expert homework help

Claire Bilicki PGEOG 361 Assignment 1 Figure 17 Here we have a low-pressure center located in North America, with an hPa of 1005. You can see areas of high pressure located to the left and right. Air is flowing into this area from all sides, the white lines of wind direction look like small tributaries flowing into a larger river. As the air flows into this low-pressure area, it also flows in a counterclockwise direction. Figure 18 Close to Figure 17’s area of low pressure is the area of high pressure, at 1015 hPa. That is an increase of 10 hPa. Air flowing out of this area, in the direction to the area of lower pressure. In general, the air spirals in a counterclockwise directions and flows into the areas of lower pressure, out of the areas of high pressure.

Claire Bilicki PGEOG 361 Assignment 1 Figure 19 Figure 20 Here is an example of a low-pressure center in the Southern Hemp here. The hPa is 1013 in the center and 1022 hPa outside. Similarly, to Figures 17 and 18, air is flowing from high-pressure areas to the center that is lower pressure. The major difference is that in the Southern Hemisphere, the air spirals in a clockwise direction. This directional differentiation from Northern to Southern Hemisphere is due to the Coriolis Effect. The Earth’s axis of rotation, tilt, and shape all contribute to difference of direction of motion in the different Hemispheres. ACTIVITY C The highest velocity of surface currents occur around the equator and in the North Atlantic, in the Gulf of Mexico and traveling north up the eastern coast of the United States. Another high velocity current seems to circle Antarctica. (Question 1) Figure 21

Claire Bilicki PGEOG 361 Assignment 1 Above is a section of the globe near the equator, to the left of South America. You can see the velocity is much greater at the equator than in the oceans to the north and south of it. These slower velocities are pictured in Figures 22-23 Figure 22 Figure 23 In Figure 21, the currents are flowing to the left. However, a current to the north is flowing to the right. In between, slower currents are swirling inward, in a clockwise direction. Air is flowing from both the north and south, meeting near the Intertropical Convergence Zone. However, the Coriolis Effect forces the currents to the left or the right, depending on the Hemisphere. This is what creates these intense currents in Figures 22-23. When looking at Antarctica, the high velocity current surrounding the continent generally flows in a clockwise direction. The airflow around the continent swirls in a clockwise direction as well. The current is able to flow so quickly because this is the only part of the ocean that can circumvent the entire globe. There is no land to block its path. Figure 24 As the Gulf Stream approaches South America, it begins to travel northward up the cost of Central and North America. You can notice a bit of convergence with another current near Brazil, with the red indicating some very high velocities in that area.

Your preview ends here

Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version

Access to all documents
Unlimited textbook solutions
24/7 expert homework help

Claire Bilicki PGEOG 361 Assignment 1 As the Gulf Stream travels up the coast of Central and North America, it begins to pick up speed, and is much faster than the other ocean currents around it. Figures 25 and 26 depict a section of the Gulf Stream where the Stream’s velocity is much greater than the ocean surrounding it. There is a difference of 1.45 m/s in the velocity at these respective points. Figure 25 Figure 26 Sea surface temperature is much higher in Gulf Stream waters, than it is at a similar latitude inland towards North America. Figure 26 Figure 27 Here there is a temperature difference of 8.5°C. The Gulf Stream carries warm water at a high velocity north from the equator, up the Coast of North America, and then through the Atlantic Ocean toward Europe. These coastal streams help to keep the communities along the coast warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. It prevents extreme temperature differentiation in these areas. However, plenty of places in these areas do experience winter, so it is important to remember the Gulf Stream helps to keep the relative temperatures from becoming extreme. There are also plenty of other factors that contribute to climate, including topography, elevation, albedo, and vegetation. Additionally, the general circulation of the atmosphere contributes to temperature as well, which is why different coasts experience different types of weather.

cbilicki_pgeog361_Assignment1

Related Documents