BILD 3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 23: Gulf Stream, Ocean Current, California Current
26 Dec 2018
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Document Summary
Equator gets most sunlight: latitudinal differences in solar intensity establish a net movement of energy from equator to poles. 3 facts that drive climate: warm air rises but cools as it does. Cooler air falls: as air rises, its temperature drops, and cold air cannot hold as much moisture as warm air. Therefore, the moisture condenses and drops as precipitation/clouds: the equator gets the most sunlight energy. Air circulation patterns: cells of rotating air create wet and dry latitudes, tropics: 23. 5 s 23. 5 n, warmest part of earth. Warm, so air rises and picks up moisture. Earth are wet/dry: temperature determines amount of precipitation, hot tropics cause evaporation. Rising air cools : air circulation determines precipitation, which can affect biodiversity in different habitats. Regional effects on climate: within climatic zones, local topography influences rainfall, at ocean, moist air moves inland and gets pushed up due to mountains.
