Lab 6 (1)

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Inver Hills Community College *

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1140

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Geography

Date

Dec 6, 2023

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docx

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5

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Weather and Climate Lab 6 Ocean Currents and Wind Patterns This lab will investigate the general circulation of ocean currents and wind patterns. Please visit the provided websites to answer the questions. Please take the necessary time to examine and familiarize yourself with the websites before trying to answer the associated questions. The information on the imagery is live data being continually updated around the world. Please read and study from the required textbook the topics of ocean currents and wind patterns before trying to complete this lab. Use your textbook while working through the lab if necessary. Please navigate to meteoblue.com and take some time to familiarize yourself with this site before trying to answer any of the questions. Select the Weather maps on the left panel and navigate to zoom in on the southern portion of Africa from roughly west to east – southern Angola to Zambia to Mozambique southward to South Africa. On the right panel select Sea & Surf then Water Surface Temperature. Please take time to study and familiarize yourself with the ocean and wind information displayed throughout this lab before trying to answer the questions. 1. Please describe the general ocean temperatures on the west and east coast and provide a general range of temperatures, too. Please click once on each of the dates below from left to right and describe the ocean temperature patterns throughout this time period noting changes or not to the overall patterns. Please keep this website active. The general range of temperatures through the ocean range from a medium to high degree of temperature. From the west coast, the general temperatures range from 60-68 degrees. On the east coast, the temperatures range from 76-84 degrees. Throughout the dates on the bottom of the screen, the patterns through this time seemed pretty consistent, they seemed to stay near the same temperature all around. Please navigate to earth.nullschool.net and take some time to familiarize yourself with this site before trying to answer any of the questions. Navigate to zoom in on the same portion of the southern portion of Africa. Please keep this website active. Please select Earth box near the bottom left and for Mode select Ocean, Animate select Currents and Overlay select SST(sea surface temperatures) moving the cursor over the scale to see the values displayed on the bottom right of the image. Also, please click on the image to see values at point locations. The units are changed by clicking on them from the data box in the middle left of the image. Please use English units when possible to answer the questions. To
collapse the variables data selection box please click on the Earth box near the bottom left. 2. Please describe the general ocean current patterns on the west and east coast of this portion of southern Africa. The general ocean current patterns on the west and east coast of this part of Africa are pretty different. On the West coast, they are slower and they are heading slowly away from the coast. On the East side, the currents are moving more rapidly and are swirling away from the coast. 3. Please click on several places on each side of the continent and record the speed of the currents and the ocean temperatures, too. The general temperature and speed on the west coast are about 56.7 degrees, and are moving at 0.3 km/h. On the east coast, the currents are about 47.7 degrees, and are moving about 1.3 km/h. 4. Please list where the fastest currents are located and list some of the speeds in mph. Some of the fastest currents are located on the east coast at 2.3 mph, 2.1 mph, and 1.9 mph. 5. Which coast has the warmest ocean temperatures and from which direction are the currents coming from? Which coast has the coolest ocean temperatures and from which direction are the currents coming from? Which coast do you think would have the most annual precipitation and why? The coast with the warmest ocean temps are on the East coast, they are coming from the North. The coast with the coolest temperature is the East, the currents are coming from the South. The most annual precipitation would come from the west coast as higher temperatures means more precipitation. Please bring up this website: google.com/earth and navigate to the same region and take some time to familiarize yourself with the types of landscapes seen in this region of Africa before answering the following questions. 6. Please describe the landscape along the western coast of southern Africa. Along the western coast, it is mainly some grassy areas along with some desert areas near the southwest portion. 7. Now zoom into the region immediately near Luderitz, Namibia and describe the landscape just to the north. The landscape near the region of Luderitz, just to the North, is mainly desert and sand.
8. Please describe the landscape along the eastern coast of southern Africa. The landscape along the Eastern coast of southern Africa is mainly grassy land. 9. Now zoom into the region immediately near Beira, Mozambique and describe the landscape just to the north. The landscape just to the North of Beira is mainly grassy and has some dirt patches. Please return to the earth nullschool site and select Mode – Air; Animate – Wind; Height – Sfc(surface winds); Overlay – Wind. 10. Please describe the winds on the western coast in terms of direction and general range of speeds, too. Where are the winds predominantly coming from? The winds on the western coast in terms of direction are heading inland, toward the east side. Speeds are about 29 mph. The winds are mainly coming from the ocean current. 11. Please describe the winds on the eastern coast in terms of direction and general range of speeds, too. Where are the winds predominantly coming from? The winds on the eastern coast are heading west and then turning north. The general speeds are about 35 mph. The winds are mainly coming from the ocean. Now for Overlay select TPW(total precipitable water) which is a reliable indication of the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere. Please take time to run the cursor over the scale to get an idea of the range of values which are noted to the bottom right of the image. 12. Please describe the TPW on the western coast and list a general range of amounts, too. Please click on the area immediately near Luderitz, Namibia and describe the TPW and compare this with values just off the coast, too, listing some of their values. On the western coast, there is about 9.306 kg/m2. The area near Luderitz is about 3.692 kg/m2. These are lower than the values off the coast. 13. Please describe the TPW on the eastern coast and list a general range of amounts, too. Please click on the area immediately near Beira, Mozambique and describe the TPW and compare this with values just off the coast, too, listing some of their values. On the eastern coast, the TPW is about 21.068 kg/m2. The area near Beira is about 17.228 kg/m2. The values on the east coast are smaller than those values on the west coast.
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