BIO-0007 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Upwelling, Thermocline, Rain Shadow
Document Summary
Climate: average conditions over a long period o. Climate change = shift in the long term average of weather conditions. E=mc^2: mass used by sun * speed at which it"s traveling. 48% of energy from sun actually reaches earth: atmosphere blocks more than half o o o. Some leftover heat from when it was formed o o. Less than 1% of energy from sun makes it there. Allows for seasons: not just extreme warming @ equator. Westerlies: winds coming from the west, blowing east. Wind formed by convection cell bends b/c the earth is rotating: would be perpendicular without the earth"s rotation, but it causes it to curve. Mountain range downwind causes rain shadow (i. e. seattle) This means it takes a long time to heat/cool: makes the ocean a heat sink. Most dense @ 4 degrees c o. Where the temperature drops really quickly as water gets deeper. Gulf stream: moves water away from equator, brings mild climate to europe.