HNRS 227 Chapters 16,17

1
HNRS 227Chapters 16,17

• Earths Oceans and Air
• presented by Prof. Geller
• 3 November 2005

2
Key Points of Chapter 16

• Atmosphere
• winds
• Hydrosphere
• evaporation, condensation, humidity
• Weather producers
• air masses, weather fronts, waves, cyclones
• Weather forecasting
• Climate

3
Key Points of Chapter 17

• Water on Earth
• freshwater, surface water, groundwater, seawater
• Oceans
• waves
• currents

4
Atmosphere

• Composition
• Nitrogen (78), Oxygen (21), Argon, Water Vapor,
  CO2, Methane, other
• Atmospheric Pressure
• pressure exerted by atmosphere
• Warming
• solar constant
• greenhouse effect
• warming due to the transparency of a substance to
  radiation at visible wavelengths and opacity to
  infrared radiation

5
Structure of the Atmosphere
6
Winds

• Local winds
• wind chill factor
• Global wind patterns

7
Hydrosphere

• Evaporation
• Humidity
• Condensation Process
• Clouds, fog
• Precipitation

8
Size of condensation nuclei and droplet
Figure 16.17
9
Absolute humidity
Figure 16.15
10
Weather Producers

• Air Masses
• Fronts
• Waves and cyclones
• Storms
• thunderstorms, tornadoes, hurricanes

11
An idealized cold front
Figure 16.25
12
An idealized warm front
Figure 16.26
13
A thunderstorm cell
Figure 16.29
14
Weather Forecasting

• Predictions based upon
• characteristics, location, and rate of movement
  of air masses and associated fronts and pressure
  systems
• Complex computer models
• Led to science of chaos
• chaotic dynamic systems

15
Climate

• general pattern of the weather that occurs for a
  region over a number of years
• Major climate regions
• tropical
• temperate
• polar

16
The principal climate zones
Figure 16.38
17
General rainfall patterns
Figure 16.42
18
Ocean currents influence temperatures
Figure 16.43
19
Distribution of the Water
20
The hydrologic cycle
21
Watersheds of three rivers
22
The path of groundwater
23
Oceanography

• Waves and tides
• changes coastal structure
• transport of material
• long term and short term changes
• Climate control
• ocean conveyor belt
• major control of climate

24
A wave passing in the open ocean
25
A wave becoming a breaker
26
Ocean Conveyor Belt - Major Climate Control