Chapter 37 - The Atmosphere, the Oceans and Their Interactions

Key Terms:

Objectives of chapter:

• Describe how latitude, elevation, topography and proximity to large bodies of water and cold or warm currents affect ocean temperature.
• Describe the formation of the ozone layer and its significance.
• Describe how the differential heating of the Earth results in circulation patterns in the atmosphere and oceans that globally distribute the heat.
• Describe how the angle of the sun affects seasons.
• Describe the coriolis effect and why it exists.
• Explain what causes horizontal and vertical ocean currents.

Outline:

37.1 Earth's Atmosphere and Oceans

The Blue Planet - why ? 70% of surface covered in water

World's oceans connected

Earth's oceans moderate the land temperatures - how?

• heat capacity of water
• climate graphs GLOBE website

Evolution of Earth's atmosphere

• early atmosphere - mostly H and He, some methane and ammonia.
• later atmosphere from gases from core of the earth.
• Oxygen came later - thanks to early plants

37.2 Components of the Earth's Atmosphere

see table 37.1

atmospheric gases creates air pressure

air pressure keeps the ocean form boiling away!

Vertical Structure of the Atmosphere - diagram 37.4

37.3 Solar Energy

The reason for the seasons - solar angle

solar radiation - short waves

terrestrial radiation - long waves re-emitted from Earth

the greenhouse effect - with out it the earth would be too cold for life!

37.4 Driving Forces of Air Motion

Convection currents

Wind

What creates these pressure gradients?

Add in the Coriolis effect for the overall patterns

37.5 Global Circulation Patterns

Figure 37.13 global patterns and their labels

upper atmospheric circulation - the rivers of air

oceanic circulation - a result of air currents and density

ocean water is in zones like the atmosphere figure 37.15

surface currents - air driven form gyres

deep water currents - density driven the conveyor belt of heat transfer for the planet.

Chapter links

class text - conceptual physical science

PCDS useful links - sorted by topic

http:www.ncar.ucar.edu/ncar

http://www.noaa.gov

http://www.geo.nsf.gov/atm/atmkids.htm

 

Related labs, activities and videos

labs

• convection currents
• discovering density
• the reason for the seasons - insolation angle
• solar power II - from CPS lab book page 161
• indoor clouds - from CPS lab book page 163
• greenhouse lab
• ice melt lab

activities

• geoblox - build a 3- D model to illustrate ocean features
• Climate mapping with GIS
• Life of a Cyclone with GIS

videos

• The Blue Planet - IMAX
• Physical Oceanography
• What's up with the weather? - NOVA
• Hurricane! - NOVA

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