BIOA02H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Ocean Current, Tropics, Primary Production
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BIOA02H3 Full Course Notes
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Document Summary
Climate long term average weather, determined by solar radiation, global patterns of wind and ocean circulation, and topography. Weather current conditions (temperature, rainfall, etc. ) of an area: climate is the most fundamental component of the physical environment. Insolation the amount of solar radiation reaching a given area. Insolation decreases with solar angle (poles = less insolation than equator: tropical zone (23. 5 s to. 23. 5 n) has the highest insolation on planet: variation in isolation drives hydrological cycles through evaporation. Orbital forcings and solar insolation: we get summer when the earth is further from the sun because that is when we are tilted towards the sun. You are standing on the equator in africa, and your friend is standing in northern manitoba. Thermohaline circulation: surface water moving away from the equator, deeper water being pulled in towards the equator, wind push surface ocean currents, water can hold more heat than air (currents move heat away from equator/ towards poles)
