GEOG 1101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Urban Heat Island, Stratocumulus Cloud, Permanent Wilting Point
24 Aug 2016
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Document Summary
The primary circulation of winds across earth has fascinated travelers, sailors and scientists for centuries, although only in the modern era is a true picture emerging of global winds. Driven by the imbalance between equatorial energy surpluses and polar energy deficits, earth"s atmospheric circulation transfers both energy and mass on a grand scale determining earth"s weather patterns and the flow of ocean currents. Atmospheric circulation also spreads air pollutants, whether natural or human caused, worldwide, far from their point of origin. 3 levels : primary circulation- general worldwide circulation, secondary circulation- migratory high-pressure and low-pressure systems, tertiary circulation- includes local winds and temporal weather patterns. Winds that move north or south along meridians of longitude are meridional flows. Winds moving east or west along parallels of latitude are zonal flows. Used mercury in a tube 1 m high. Much denser fluid than water: a more compact barometer design, which works without a meter-long tube of mercury is the aneroid barometer.
