Name:
Per.
Notes: Energy, Currents, and Climates
How does energy get to Earth?
•The sun’s energy transfers to the earth through space through the process of radiation.
How does the heat get to the rest of the atmosphere and through the oceans?
•Convection currents carry the heat.
•Hot, less dense fluids rise.
•Cold, more dense fluids sink.
How does water and wind travel around the globe?
•A current is a body of water or air moving in a definite direction.
Do currents go in straight lines?
•The currents curve slightly due to the Earth’s rotation. This is called the
Coriolis Effect.
Global Winds
•Winds flow from high pressure to low pressure areas. (They
want to go where there are less particles).
•The equator has low pressure, because warm air rises.
•Winds generally flow away from the equator.
•Air movement towards the equator is called trade winds.
o Why do you think they are called that?
•Winds that blows across the US from the west are called the
“Westerlies.”
o What do the Westerlies cause in the US?
Deep Ocean Currents
•The general pattern is called the “global conveyer belt.”
•Warm water rises at the equator and travels
toward the poles.
•Water cools and sinks at the poles. It travels
back toward the equator.
Name:
Per.
Surface Ocean Currents
•Are driven by the wind blowing over the ocean’s surface.
•The winds create gyres, circular patterns of currents.
Currents and Climate
•Climate is the average weather conditions over time including wind, temperature, rainfall, etc.
•How is that different from weather?
Rule of thumb for climate: It is based on the latitude of the place. Closer to the equator is warm.
But wait….Can all climates be explained by latitude alone?
Based on latitude alone, we should expect England to have a climate similar to Northern Canada ?
Why is it so warm in northern Europe compared to other places at the same latitude?
•The gulf stream brings warmer water to northern Europe than would be expected for that
latitude.
•The difference is about 5°C warmer.
Based on latitude alone, we should expect Hawaii to have a climate similar to _southern Mexico_?
Why is relatively cool in Hawaii compared to other places at the same latitude?