The Hydrosphere
Oceanic circulations
●Ocean currents carry low latitude warm water to higher latitudes where the heat can be released to the atmosphere (through surface evaporation and sensible heat flux).
●In this way the latitudinal oceanic heat transport with its atmospheric counterpart (atmospheric Hadley Cell, Ferrell Cell and Polar Cell) to balance the Earth's local heat budget.
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Oceanic circulations
●Buoyancy fluxes between air and water alter the density of the sea water - those are latent and sensible heat fluxes.
●Cooling of the ocean makes the water denser, that is removing buoyancy; evaporation makes the ocean saltier and hence denser, again removing buoyancy.
Surface currents The horizontal circulation shapes the sea surface temperature pattern by moving heat from the tropics to the polar regions
Ocean Surface Currents
Oceanic circulations
●Horizontal flows (along the sea SFC; mostly wind generated)
MOC
A(tlantic)MOC
●Gulf Stream / North Atlantic Current (SFC currents) carry warm water from tropical Atlantic to polar region.
●Sinking in Nordic Seas and Labrador Sea produces North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW).
●NADW flows as a cold current at depth back to equator.
●Water transport along the AMOC consists of wind driven and density driven (i.e. THC) currents.
Outline
●Different global ocean circulation types
●Wind driven circulations
●THC and oceanic heat budget
Wind circulations
●Most energetic, driven by SFC winds
The Hydrosphere
Oceanic circulations
Outline
●Different global ocean circulation types.
●Wind driven circulations
●THC and oceanic heat budget
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Wind circulations
●SFC winds are part of the atmospheric circulation
●In the tropics, trades blow steadily with little change in direction or speed towards the (thermal) equator all year
●The trade winds of the two hemispheres meet at the ITCZ, where updrafts of air induce high precipitation
●Generally, the strongest
●Ocean currents carry low latitude warm water to higher latitudes where the heat can be released to the atmosphere (through surface evaporation and sensible heat flux).
●In this way the latitudinal oceanic heat transport with its atmospheric counterpart (atmospheric Hadley Cell, Ferrell Cell and Polar Cell) to balance the Earth's local heat budget.
Loading...
Oceanic circulations
●Buoyancy fluxes between air and water alter the density of the sea water - those are latent and sensible heat fluxes.
●Cooling of the ocean makes the water denser, that is removing buoyancy; evaporation makes the ocean saltier and hence denser, again removing buoyancy.
Surface currents The horizontal circulation shapes the sea surface temperature pattern by moving heat from the tropics to the polar regions
Ocean Surface Currents
Oceanic circulations
●Horizontal flows (along the sea SFC; mostly wind generated)
MOC
A(tlantic)MOC
●Gulf Stream / North Atlantic Current (SFC currents) carry warm water from tropical Atlantic to polar region.
●Sinking in Nordic Seas and Labrador Sea produces North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW).
●NADW flows as a cold current at depth back to equator.
●Water transport along the AMOC consists of wind driven and density driven (i.e. THC) currents.
Outline
●Different global ocean circulation types
●Wind driven circulations
●THC and oceanic heat budget
Wind circulations
●Most energetic, driven by SFC winds
The Hydrosphere
Oceanic circulations
Outline
●Different global ocean circulation types.
●Wind driven circulations
●THC and oceanic heat budget
Loading...
Wind circulations
●SFC winds are part of the atmospheric circulation
●In the tropics, trades blow steadily with little change in direction or speed towards the (thermal) equator all year
●The trade winds of the two hemispheres meet at the ITCZ, where updrafts of air induce high precipitation
●Generally, the strongest