ENVS 2270 Lecture 1: Unit 1 Notes

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Climate: what you expect: long term averages of weather. Weather: what you get: what is happening now, short term. Atmospheric circulation: at(cid:373)osphere e(cid:454)te(cid:374)ds ~(cid:1005)(cid:1008)(cid:1009)k(cid:373) a(cid:271)o(cid:448)e earth"s surfa(cid:272)e. Troposphere: clouds, weather, highest mountains, jet planes (0-10km) Atmosphere composition: nitrogen: 78, oxygen: 21, argon: 0. 9, carbon dioxide: 0. 04, minute traces: neon, helium, methane, water vapour, hydrogen, ozone, etc. Global air circulation: responsible for winds, temperature, precipitation and storms: dri(cid:448)er (cid:271)(cid:455) su(cid:374)"s heat a(cid:374)d earth"s rotatio(cid:374) Temperature gradients drive convection cells: air warms, becomes less dense and rises, air cools, becomes more dense and sinks. Coriolis effect: deflects right in northern hemisphere, deflects left in southern hemisphere, has greatest effe(cid:272)t o(cid:374) (cid:862)o(cid:271)je(cid:272)ts(cid:863) (cid:894)air or (cid:449)ater(cid:895) that (cid:373)o(cid:448)e lo(cid:374)g dista(cid:374)(cid:272)es a(cid:272)ross latitudes. Circulation cells in northern hemisphere: high pressure zones: descending air = clear skies, low pressure zones: rising air = overcast and lots of precipitation. Wind blowing over oceans sets surface water in motions. Other contributing factors = distribution of continents.

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