GEOS 170A1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 15: Atacama Desert, Atmospheric Circulation, Rain Shadow

• School: University of Arizona
• Department: Geosciences
• Course: GEOS 170A1
• Professor: Martin Pepper

Document Summary

Recap: troposphere = most weather, loses heat as get further from ground and decrease atom concentration (heat potential, movements of atmosphere starts with the sun"s heat! What about pressure: rising air = low pressure = clouds & precipitation, sinking air = high pressure = dryness & desert, wet climate = more weathering (more weathering in humidity) mechanically. & chemically: sinking air = desert, rising air = rainforest. Deserts and forests form due to: atmospheric circulation patterns (latitudinal, topography (rain shadow, cold or hot ocean currents (coastal, distance from oceans (coastal vs continental) Topography: example: himalaya (a wall blocking warm, moist air, himalayas alters global climate! Rain shadow effect: moist air forced to rise by topography/mountain, cooling results in saturation & precipitation on windward side of mountains, dry air on downwind side of mountains. Ocean currents (coastal deserts: example: atacama desert (driest desert on earth, found at continental margins where cold ocean water cools air flowing onshore (coastal peru)