EAS 1540 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Solar Thermal Collector, Trade Winds, Radiant Energy
15 Dec 2016
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Lec 8 - fri 9/16 - physical oceanography. Wind named after where the wind comes from. Thermocline (steep temperature gradient) separates the warm and cold layers. Clockwise in northern hemisphere, ccw in southern hemisphere. Cold water sinks at high latitudes and moves to low latitudes. Deep water gets mixed back up to the top. Material is warmed when it absorbs radiant energy. Surface radiates long wavelength radiation, and warms atmosphere. Air above is cool so it cools the warm moist air --> water vapor. Atmospheric convection and precipitation is strongest at equator. Strong heating along equator drives atmospheric convention, condensation, and precipitation. Air column with high amounts of water vapor. Because h2o has lower molecular weight (18) than n2 (28) Pattern of circulation produces a pattern of low/high/low/high sea level pressure. -> need low/high/low/high pressure and coriolis in order to get these wind bands *****
