BIO205H5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Thermocline, Sea Surface Temperature
Document Summary
Bio205: lecture #3 :what influences environmental conditions 09/16/2014. Slide #9: the earth is heated unequally by the sun: less energy in north compared to the south, higher latitudes have a decreasing temperature. Slide #10: the sun"s heating is seasonal: different amount of sunlight for different periods in different times of the year. Slide #11: the unequal heating creates air currents: sun warms air; warm air rises. Slide #14: these regular models are disrupted every now and then: peruvian coast sucks up warm water from the bottom of the ocean, thermocline: area of the largest temperature change. In an el nino year what changes is o the water that is suppose to flow to the western pacific piles up in south. America. o thermocline is pushed to lower depths. o instead of the water flowing up it pushes down. Slide #15: el nino has global consequences: north america has much warmer and wetter conditions, fisheries were not as efficient.
