Flows around high and low pressure zones (winds)

Earth not spinningNo Coriolis Effect

Earth spinningCoriolis Effect

Hi

Hi Lo

Clockwise Counter-clockwise

DownwellingSubsidence

UpwellingLifting

Northern HemisphereMotion

Vertical Motion

Convergence DivergenceHi Altitude Motion

Lo

Santa Ana WindsHi (Cold)

Low (Warm)

WHY ARE SANTA ANAS

HOT?

Adiabatic heatingas the air pressureincreases

Why are Highs and Lows associated with Good and Bad

Weather, Respectively?

LO

Divergence

Convergence

Upw

elling

HI

Convergence

Divergence

Dow

nwelling

AdiabaticheatingRH

Adiabaticcooling

RH Clear Skies Clouds andPrecipitation

WeatherWhere there’s weather, there’s

clouds (or not)

This is why we watchbarometers

This is whatmakes T-storms

This is whyE Hawaii is wet

This is whywe getsquall linesand cyclones

Rain-Shadow Deserts

Orographic precipitation

Cold Front

Figure 8.11

Warm Front

Figure 8.13

Midlatitude Cyclone

Figure 8.14

Earth’s Climate SystemIt’s all about energy

Figure 10.1

Albedo and the Greenhouse Effect

max=2898/T6000 K: 0.5 m283 K: 10 m

Earth’s Albedo: 30%Major Controls?

Greenhouse Gases:H2OCO2

N2OCH4

Others

Climate and the CryosphereAlbedo-Climate FeedbacksThe Snowball Earth? (600-700 Ma)How would Earth get out of a Snowball Scenario?

Climate and the Cryosphere

Figure 10.32

Climate and the Cryosphere

What is the impact of changes in insolation?

• How much of a difference does 30 W/m2 make?

• -18.99°C to -17.59°C

• A range of 1.4°C

CO2 and the Earth System

CO2 and the Earth System

What effect does the collision between India and Asia have on

atmospheric CO2?

The Ocean, Heat and CO2Mass of Atmosphere: 5.1 x 1018 kgMass of Ocean: 1.4 x 1021 kg

To raise entire atmosphere 1 °C:

~ 5 x 1021 J or 1.2 x 1021 cal

To raise entire ocean 1 °C:

~ 6 x 1024 J or 1.4 x 1024 cal

CO2(g)

CO2(aq) +H2O -> H+(aq)+ HCO3(aq)

Global Temperatures

Figure 10.28

The Keeling Curve

Variations in CO2

Causes of Climate Change

From: Mann, Michael E., Raymond S. Bradley, and Malcolm K. Hughes.  1998.  Nature , 392, pp.779-

787

Climate Relationships

Figure 10.3

Generalized Climate Regions

Figure 10.4

Latitudinal Transect

MoscowSouthCarolina

Amazonia SubarcticRussia

Continentalvs.

Maritime

Mediterranean Climates

Figure 10.16