The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has provided the public with an educational webpage with tutorials about everything you might have ever wondered about regarding the oceans, weather and atmosphere.
http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/pd/oceans_weather_climate/welcome.html
Enjoy!
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Monday, August 8, 2011
The EARTH, the WIND and the SEA
The Earth, the wind and the sea do not always live happily together all the time. They should since they are bound to the same living quarters. But when they get out of balance, they do so to get back in balance.
Hurricanes are born out of atmospheric disturbances that roll out of West Africa into the Atlantic where they gain strength from the unusually warm waters that flow during summer around the equator. Why do the Atlantic summer waters get unusually warm? Although there are many naturally occurring factors, one is guaranteed to make the list: solar radiation. The strength and duration of solar radiation are a major influence on the waters temperature. Sometimes the sun produces more intense radiation than others. It has yet to be fully understood why it fluctuates and what causes it to fluctuate, but scientists are not completely in the dark either. An example is the "little ice age" that fell on Europe between the 15th and 16th centuries. During this time, the sun's activity, gauged by the activity and intensity in sunspots, aurora and corona, was lower than normal. Scientists call the decrease of auroral activity, a less visible coronas, and much fewer sunspots the "Maunder minimum".
Another reason that affects the oceans and land temperatures is the atmosphere. Our atmosphere is made up of colorless, odorless gases for the most part. Nitrogen is the most abundant at 78%. Oxygen is second with 21.1% and the remaining 0.9% is made of other gases. Because the air is not empty space, it has mass ans weight. But if the was other matter that weighed around the same or less as the air, it could be suspended for an indefinite amount of time. Just like when volcanoes erupt and spread very thin and extremely small particles of ash. Ash however, is not colorless. When large volcanoes erupt in the day, it is said that for those trapped under the ash cloud, day becomes night. But the opposite also happens. Very clear days when the sun burns more than other days.
Imagine the hottest summer day. Now imagine that the day has 4 more hours of sun than normal. That means 4 hours less of darkness that the surface no longer has too cool off. So instead of starting the day at 80 degrees, you will start your day at 85 degrees.Imagine this scenario for 89 more days. And lets not forget rain!Rain is good for many reasons. But in this scenario, when it falls, it will cool off the surface and everything on it. It will do so through evaporation. Once it evaporates it remains in the air as humidity. It is a good thing that water that evaporates into the air when cooling off a hot surface returns as rain otherwise the air would end up holding the oceans. The reason why this does not occur is condensation. And condensation happens when hot, humid air rises and cools off 3.5 degrees Fahrenheit for every 1000 feet. The exact temperature at which the moisture in the air condenses depends on relative humidity but that is another post entirely. Moisture also needs the ash from the volcano that erupted and whatever other tiny particle is floating around in the air to which moisture can attach itself and condense.
Moisture condensed in the above example because the air rose and cooled off at 3.5 degrees per 1000 feet until it reached the magic number for saturation. The air rose because it was hot, just like in "hot air balloons". It does so because it is "less dense" than the air around it which "sinks" because it is "more dense". This happens at the atomic level due to differences in energy in the form of heat. This rising and sinking creates winds. Just like when a thunderstorm approaches, the breeze begins to pick up and cool off too. This is the hot air rising and cold air getting sucked down ans sinking at the same time. The hot, humid air rises, the darker the storm will get until it can hold no more water and rains.
Ocean waters also have a relationship to the air. The winds caused by the exchange of hot and cold air in the atmosphere occur over land and water. When they are over water, when they are strong enough, the winds influence the flow of the oceans, seas, lakes, etc. In fact, the globe is divided into several areas where major wind patterns dominate. Around the equator you have the "trade winds". To the north of the equator are the "Northeast trade winds" which blow from east to west. To the south are the "Southeast" trade winds and they blow from east to west too. 30 degrees of latitude in either direction of the equator are the "Westerly" winds. 30 degrees more, 60 total, are the "Polar easterlies". Additionally, in the areas where these winds converge/come together, different pattern of circulation are formed. Examples are "Hadley cells", "Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ)", and more.
As these winds blow onto shores, they bring with them moisture and either warm or cool temperatures. Think of Seattle and San Francisco and the cool, moist climates they have. The main reason is due to their proximity to the Pacific Ocean. In addition to their climates, their flora is affected by the amount of moisture brought in by the ocean.
I hope that a relationship is starting to be made clear. One natural event depends on one and fuels another which later comes around. And as you break it down to the atomic level, the process continues. The influence can do good or bad.
Stay tuned as more educational posts with informative links to other more scientific or socially active sites are posted. Thank you, P.
Hurricanes are born out of atmospheric disturbances that roll out of West Africa into the Atlantic where they gain strength from the unusually warm waters that flow during summer around the equator. Why do the Atlantic summer waters get unusually warm? Although there are many naturally occurring factors, one is guaranteed to make the list: solar radiation. The strength and duration of solar radiation are a major influence on the waters temperature. Sometimes the sun produces more intense radiation than others. It has yet to be fully understood why it fluctuates and what causes it to fluctuate, but scientists are not completely in the dark either. An example is the "little ice age" that fell on Europe between the 15th and 16th centuries. During this time, the sun's activity, gauged by the activity and intensity in sunspots, aurora and corona, was lower than normal. Scientists call the decrease of auroral activity, a less visible coronas, and much fewer sunspots the "Maunder minimum".
Another reason that affects the oceans and land temperatures is the atmosphere. Our atmosphere is made up of colorless, odorless gases for the most part. Nitrogen is the most abundant at 78%. Oxygen is second with 21.1% and the remaining 0.9% is made of other gases. Because the air is not empty space, it has mass ans weight. But if the was other matter that weighed around the same or less as the air, it could be suspended for an indefinite amount of time. Just like when volcanoes erupt and spread very thin and extremely small particles of ash. Ash however, is not colorless. When large volcanoes erupt in the day, it is said that for those trapped under the ash cloud, day becomes night. But the opposite also happens. Very clear days when the sun burns more than other days.
Imagine the hottest summer day. Now imagine that the day has 4 more hours of sun than normal. That means 4 hours less of darkness that the surface no longer has too cool off. So instead of starting the day at 80 degrees, you will start your day at 85 degrees.Imagine this scenario for 89 more days. And lets not forget rain!Rain is good for many reasons. But in this scenario, when it falls, it will cool off the surface and everything on it. It will do so through evaporation. Once it evaporates it remains in the air as humidity. It is a good thing that water that evaporates into the air when cooling off a hot surface returns as rain otherwise the air would end up holding the oceans. The reason why this does not occur is condensation. And condensation happens when hot, humid air rises and cools off 3.5 degrees Fahrenheit for every 1000 feet. The exact temperature at which the moisture in the air condenses depends on relative humidity but that is another post entirely. Moisture also needs the ash from the volcano that erupted and whatever other tiny particle is floating around in the air to which moisture can attach itself and condense.
Moisture condensed in the above example because the air rose and cooled off at 3.5 degrees per 1000 feet until it reached the magic number for saturation. The air rose because it was hot, just like in "hot air balloons". It does so because it is "less dense" than the air around it which "sinks" because it is "more dense". This happens at the atomic level due to differences in energy in the form of heat. This rising and sinking creates winds. Just like when a thunderstorm approaches, the breeze begins to pick up and cool off too. This is the hot air rising and cold air getting sucked down ans sinking at the same time. The hot, humid air rises, the darker the storm will get until it can hold no more water and rains.
Ocean waters also have a relationship to the air. The winds caused by the exchange of hot and cold air in the atmosphere occur over land and water. When they are over water, when they are strong enough, the winds influence the flow of the oceans, seas, lakes, etc. In fact, the globe is divided into several areas where major wind patterns dominate. Around the equator you have the "trade winds". To the north of the equator are the "Northeast trade winds" which blow from east to west. To the south are the "Southeast" trade winds and they blow from east to west too. 30 degrees of latitude in either direction of the equator are the "Westerly" winds. 30 degrees more, 60 total, are the "Polar easterlies". Additionally, in the areas where these winds converge/come together, different pattern of circulation are formed. Examples are "Hadley cells", "Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ)", and more.
As these winds blow onto shores, they bring with them moisture and either warm or cool temperatures. Think of Seattle and San Francisco and the cool, moist climates they have. The main reason is due to their proximity to the Pacific Ocean. In addition to their climates, their flora is affected by the amount of moisture brought in by the ocean.
I hope that a relationship is starting to be made clear. One natural event depends on one and fuels another which later comes around. And as you break it down to the atomic level, the process continues. The influence can do good or bad.
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