Atmospheric Circulation & Winds
Warm air at the equator ______ and cool air at the poles ______.
What is rises and sinks?
“Thermo” means heat, and “haline” means ______.
What is salt?
The ocean and atmosphere share energy mainly through ______ transfer.
What is heat?
In the lab, which layer should be at the bottom—cold water or warm water?
What is cold water?
What drives surface currents?
Wind and the Coriolis Effect.
What causes the Coriolis Effect?
What is Earth’s rotation?
Cold salty water is ______ dense than warm fresh water.
What is more?
How does the ocean influence coastal climates?
What is water absorbs and releases heat slowly, moderating temperatures?
Why did the layers mix when cold water was placed on top?
Because cold water is denser and sinks.
What is the main reason equatorial regions receive more heat?
Sunlight hits more directly.
In the Northern Hemisphere, moving air and water turn to the ______.
What is to the right or clockwise?
Where does deep water formation mainly occur?
What is the polar regions?
What major current warms the eastern U.S. and northwestern Europe?
What is the Gulf Stream?
In the salinity lab, why was the most saline water always at the bottom?
Because higher salinity = higher density.
How does upwelling support marine life?
It brings nutrient-rich water to the surface.
Name the three major global wind belts.
What are the Trade Winds, Westerlies, and Polar Easterlies?
Why does it take ~1,000 years for a parcel of water to move through the global conveyor belt?
Because it travels thousands of miles as both deep and surface currents.
El Niño brings ______ water and ______ weather to the eastern Pacific.
What is warm water and wetter weather?
Which variable—temperature or salinity—affects density more?
Trick question—both strongly affect density!
What event weakens trade winds and warms the eastern Pacific?
El Niño.
Why don’t winds move in straight lines from high to low pressure?
What is the Coriolis Effect curves their path?
Explain how salinity changes during sea ice formation affect circulation.
Ice forms → salt is left behind → water becomes saltier and denser → it sinks.
Why is the ocean considered a major “heat reservoir”?
Because it stores large amounts of solar energy in the upper layers.
Explain how the lab models deep-water formation in the real ocean.
Cold, salty water sinks just like in the polar oceans, starting thermohaline circulation.
Why would melting polar ice slow down thermohaline circulation?
Freshwater lowers salinity, making water less dense and reducing sinking.