Meteorology – Lecture 20
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Meteorology Climate
Meteorology: Climate • Climate is the third topic in the B-Division Science Olympiad Meteorology Event. • Topics rotate annually so a middle school participant may receive a comprehensive course of instruction in meteorology during this three-year cycle. • Sequence: 1. Climate (2006) 2. Everyday Weather (2007) 3. Severe Storms (2008) Weather versus Climate Weather occurs in the troposphere from day to day and week to week and even year to year. It is the state of the atmosphere at a particular location and moment in time. http://weathereye.kgan.com/cadet/cl imate/climate_vs.html http://apollo.lsc.vsc.edu/classes/me t130/notes/chapter1/wea_clim.html Weather versus Climate Climate is the sum of weather trends over long periods of time (centuries or even thousands of years). http://calspace.ucsd.edu/virtualmuseum/ climatechange1/07_1.shtml Weather versus Climate The nature of weather and climate are determined by many of the same elements. The most important of these are: 1. Temperature. Daily extremes in temperature and average annual temperatures determine weather over the short term; temperature tendencies determine climate over the long term. 2. Precipitation: including type (snow, rain, ground fog, etc.) and amount 3. Global circulation patterns: both oceanic and atmospheric 4. Continentiality: presence or absence of large land masses 5. Astronomical factors: including precession, axial tilt, eccen- tricity of Earth’s orbit, and variable solar output 6. Human impact: including green house gas emissions, ozone layer degradation, and deforestation http://www.ecn.ac.uk/Education/factors_affecting_climate.htm http://www.necci.sr.unh.edu/necci-report/NERAch3.pdf http://www.bbm.me.uk/portsdown/PH_731_Milank.htm Natural Climatic Variability Natural climatic variability refers to naturally occurring factors that affect global temperatures. -
Tropical Meteorology
Tropical Meteorology Chapter 01B Topics ¾ El Niño – Southern Oscillation (ENSO) ¾ The Madden-Julian Oscillation ¾ Westerly wind bursts 1 The Southern Oscillation ¾ There is considerable interannual variability in the scale and intensity of the Walker Circulation, which is manifest in the so-called Southern Oscillation (SO). ¾ The SO is associated with fluctuations in sea level pressure in the tropics, monsoon rainfall, and wintertime circulation over the Pacific Ocean and also over North America and other parts of the extratropics. ¾ It is the single most prominent signal in year-to-year climate variability in the atmosphere. ¾ It was first described in a series of papers in the 1920s by Sir Gilbert Walker and a review and references are contained in a paper by Julian and Chervin (1978). The Southern Oscillation ¾ Julian and Chervin (1978) use Walker´s own words to summarize the phenomenon. "By the southern oscillation is implied the tendency of (surface) pressure at stations in the Pacific (San Francisco, Tokyo, Honolulu, Samoa and South America), and of rainfall in India and Java... to increase, while pressure in the region of the Indian Ocean (Cairo, N.W. India, Darwin, Mauritius, S.E. Australia and the Cape) decreases...“ and "We can perhaps best sum up the situation by saying that there is a swaying of pressure on a big scale backwards and forwards between the Pacific and Indian Oceans...". 2 Fig 1.17 The Southern Oscillation ¾ Bjerknes (1969) first pointed to an association between the SO and the Walker Circulation, but the seeds for this association were present in the studies by Troup (1965). -
Intro to Tidal Theory
Introduction to Tidal Theory Ruth Farre (BSc. Cert. Nat. Sci.) South African Navy Hydrographic Office, Private Bag X1, Tokai, 7966 1. INTRODUCTION Tides: The periodic vertical movement of water on the Earth’s Surface (Admiralty Manual of Navigation) Tides are very often neglected or taken for granted, “they are just the sea advancing and retreating once or twice a day.” The Ancient Greeks and Romans weren’t particularly concerned with the tides at all, since in the Mediterranean they are almost imperceptible. It was this ignorance of tides that led to the loss of Caesar’s war galleys on the English shores, he failed to pull them up high enough to avoid the returning tide. In the beginning tides were explained by all sorts of legends. One ascribed the tides to the breathing cycle of a giant whale. In the late 10 th century, the Arabs had already begun to relate the timing of the tides to the cycles of the moon. However a scientific explanation for the tidal phenomenon had to wait for Sir Isaac Newton and his universal theory of gravitation which was published in 1687. He described in his “ Principia Mathematica ” how the tides arose from the gravitational attraction of the moon and the sun on the earth. He also showed why there are two tides for each lunar transit, the reason why spring and neap tides occurred, why diurnal tides are largest when the moon was furthest from the plane of the equator and why the equinoxial tides are larger in general than those at the solstices. -
An Observational Study of the Tropical Tropospheric Circulation
An Observational Study of the Tropical Tropospheric Circulation Ioana M. Dima A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Washington 2005 Program Authorized to Offer Degree: Department of Atmospheric Sciences University of Washington Graduate School This is to certify that I have examined this copy of a doctoral dissertation by Ioana M. Dima and have found that it is complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions by the final examining committee have been made. Chair of the Supervisory Committee: ______________________________________________________________________ John M. Wallace Reading Committee: ______________________________________________________________________ John M. Wallace ______________________________________________________________________ Dennis L. Hartmann ______________________________________________________________________ Edward S. Sarachik Date: ______________________ In presenting this dissertation in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the doctoral degree at the University of Washington, I agree that the Library shall make its copies freely available for inspection. I further agree that extensive copying of the dissertation is allowable only for scholarly purposes, consistent with “fair use” as prescribed in the U.S. Copyright Law. Requests for copying or reproduction of this dissertation may be referred to Proquest Information and Learning, 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48106-1346, to whom the -
Oceanography 200, Spring 2008 Armbrust/Strickland Study Guide Exam 1
Oceanography 200, Spring 2008 Armbrust/Strickland Study Guide Exam 1 Geography of Earth & Oceans Latitude & longitude Properties of Water Structure of water molecule: polarity, hydrogen bonds, effects on water as a solvent and on freezing Latent heat of fusion & vaporization & physical explanation Effects of latent heat on heat transport between ocean & atmosphere & within atmosphere Definition of density, density of ice vs. water Physical meaning of temperature & heat Heat capacity of water & why water requires a lot of heat gain or loss to change temperature Effects of heating & cooling on density of water, and physical explanation Difference in albedo of ice/snow vs. water, and effects on Earth temperature Properties of Seawater Definitions of salinity, conservative & non-conservative seawater constituents, density (sigma-t) Average ocean salinity & how it is measured 3 technology systems for monitoring ocean salinity and other properties 6 most abundant constituents of seawater & Principle of Constant Proportions Effects of freezing on seawater Effects of temperature & salinity on density, T-S diagram Processes that increase & decrease salinity & temperature and where they occur Generalized depth profiles of temperature, salinity, density & ocean stratification & stability Generalized depth profiles of O2 & CO2 and processes determining these profiles Forms of dissolved inorganic carbon in seawater and their buffering effect on pH of seawater Water Properties and Climate Change 2 main causes of global sea level rise, 2 main causes of local sea level rise Physical properties of water that affect sea level rise Icebergs & sea ice: Differences in sources, and effects of freezing & melting on sea level How heat content of upper ocean & Arctic sea ice extent have changed since about 1970s Invasion of fossil fuel CO2 in the oceans and effects on pH The Sea Floor & Plate Tectonics General differences in rock type & density of oceanic vs. -
Oceanography Lecture 12
Because, OF ALL THE ICE!!! Oceanography Lecture 12 How do you know there’s an Ice Age? i. The Ocean/Atmosphere coupling ii.Surface Ocean Circulation Global Circulation Patterns: Atmosphere-Ocean “coupling” 3) Atmosphere-Ocean “coupling” Atmosphere – Transfer of moisture to the Low latitudes: Oceans atmosphere (heat released in higher latitudes High latitudes: Atmosphere as water condenses!) Atmosphere-Ocean “coupling” In summary Latitudinal Differences in Energy Atmosphere – Transfer of moisture to the atmosphere: Hurricanes! www.weather.com Amount of solar radiation received annually at the Earth’s surface Latitudinal Differences in Salinity Latitudinal Differences in Density Structure of the Oceans Heavy Light T has a much greater impact than S on Density! Atmospheric – Wind patterns Atmospheric – Wind patterns January January Westerlies Easterlies Easterlies Westerlies High/Low Pressure systems: Heat capacity! High/Low Pressure systems: Wind generation Wind drag Zonal Wind Flow Wind is moving air Air molecules drag water molecules across sea surface (remember waves generation?): frictional drag Westerlies If winds are prolonged, the frictional drag generates a current Easterlies Only a small fraction of the wind energy is transferred to Easterlies the water surface Westerlies Any wind blowing in a regular pattern? High/Low Pressure systems: Wind generation by flow from High to Low pressure systems (+ Coriolis effect) 1) Ekman Spiral 1) Ekman Spiral Once the surface film of water molecules is set in motion, they exert a Spiraling current in which speed and direction change with frictional drag on the water molecules immediately beneath them, depth: getting these to move as well. Net transport (average of all transport) is 90° to right Motion is transferred downward into the water column (North Hemisphere) or left (Southern Hemisphere) of the ! Speed diminishes with depth (friction) generating wind. -
Tidal and Wind-Driven Currents from Oscr
FEATURE TIDAL AND WIND-DRIVEN CURRENTS FROM OSCR By David Prandle TWO IMPORTANTASPECTS of tidal currents are (1) be seen by comparing calculations of M, tidal vor- their temporal coherence and (2) their constancy ticity distributions <OV/OX- c?U/OY> from OSCR (over centuries). The first rigorous evaluation of an measurements with corresponding model calcula- Ocean Surface Current Radar (OSCR) system ex- tions (Prandle 1987). ploited these characteristics using sequential de- Tidal Residuals ployments of the one available unit with subse- The propagation of tidal energy from the quent combination of radial components to ocean into shelf seas produces an attendant net construct tidal ellipses (Prandle and Ryder 1985). residual current Uo of 0.5(OUD)cos 0 (0, oscil- Specifications for Tidal Mapping lating current amplitude; c, elevation amplitude: The Rayleigh criterion for separation of closely D, water depth: O, phase difference between lJ spaced constituents in tidal analysis suggests ob- and {). In U.K. waters Uo is typically 0-3 cm s ' servational periods exceeding the related beat fre- compared with 0 of 40-100 cm s ', thus conven- • . enhanced reso- quency, this dictates 15 d of observations to sepa- tional current meters often fail to resolve U~,. lution of the instru- rate the two largest constituents M~ and St. For Moreover, numerical models that accurately sim- tidal elevations this criterion is often relaxed: ulate M z may not resolve U,, with the same accu- mentation reveals however, while elevations show a noise:tidal sig- racy. Year-long deployments of OSCR, in the finer scale dynamical nal ratio of 0(0.1-0.2), the same ratio for currents Dover Straits (Prandle et al., 1993) and the North is 0(0.5). -
EL NIÑO SOUTHERN OSCILLATION GLOBAL CLIMATE INFLUENCER by James Rohman | March 2014
EL NIÑO SOUTHERN OSCILLATION GLOBAL CLIMATE INFLUENCER By James Rohman | March 2014 This El Niño event had a warm Water mass of roughly 4.7 million square miles, or 1.5 times the size of the continental United States Figure 1. Warm water (red/white) spreads out from equatorial South America during a strong El Niño, September 1997. The La Niña phenomenon can Significantly alter flood/drought patterns and tropical/extratropical cyclone genesis on approximately 60% of the earth’s surface Figure 2. Cold water (blue/purple) dominates the equatorial Pacific during a strong La Niña, May 1999. El Niño Southern Oscillation | Global Climate Influencer 1 Introduction In the world’s oceans lay massive repositories of stored energy. The various cold and warm patches of ocean water act to cool or heat the atmosphere, influencing global climate patterns. The heat transfer controls weather over both land and sea. The largest such recurring climate pattern is the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in the Pacific Ocean. ENSO is the anomalous and recurring pattern of cold and warm patches of water periodically developing off the western coast of South America. El Niño is the appearance of warm water along western South America, from Chile up to Peru and Ecuador. La Niña is the exact opposite, with anomalously cold water spreading across the equatorial Pacific. In addition to changes in thermal energy in the ocean environment, the relative height of the sea surface also relates to ENSO. As patches of oceans warm, the sea level rises; as water cools, the sea level drops. -
Physical Oceanography - UNAM, Mexico Lecture 3: the Wind-Driven Oceanic Circulation
Physical Oceanography - UNAM, Mexico Lecture 3: The Wind-Driven Oceanic Circulation Robin Waldman October 17th 2018 A first taste... Many large-scale circulation features are wind-forced ! Outline The Ekman currents and Sverdrup balance The western intensification of gyres The Southern Ocean circulation The Tropical circulation Outline The Ekman currents and Sverdrup balance The western intensification of gyres The Southern Ocean circulation The Tropical circulation Ekman currents Introduction : I First quantitative theory relating the winds and ocean circulation. I Can be deduced by applying a dimensional analysis to the horizontal momentum equations within the surface layer. The resulting balance is geostrophic plus Ekman : I geostrophic : Coriolis and pressure force I Ekman : Coriolis and vertical turbulent momentum fluxes modelled as diffusivities. Ekman currents Ekman’s hypotheses : I The ocean is infinitely large and wide, so that interactions with topography can be neglected ; ¶uh I It has reached a steady state, so that the Eulerian derivative ¶t = 0 ; I It is homogeneous horizontally, so that (uh:r)uh = 0, ¶uh rh:(khurh)uh = 0 and by continuity w = 0 hence w ¶z = 0 ; I Its density is constant, which has the same consequence as the Boussinesq hypotheses for the horizontal momentum equations ; I The vertical eddy diffusivity kzu is constant. ¶ 2u f k × u = k E E zu ¶z2 that is : k ¶ 2v u = zu E E f ¶z2 k ¶ 2u v = − zu E E f ¶z2 Ekman currents Ekman balance : k ¶ 2v u = zu E E f ¶z2 k ¶ 2u v = − zu E E f ¶z2 Ekman currents Ekman balance : ¶ 2u f k × u = k E E zu ¶z2 that is : Ekman currents Ekman balance : ¶ 2u f k × u = k E E zu ¶z2 that is : k ¶ 2v u = zu E E f ¶z2 k ¶ 2u v = − zu E E f ¶z2 ¶uh τ = r0kzu ¶z 0 with τ the surface wind stress. -
Underestimated Responses of Walker Circulation to ENSO-Related SST
Wang et al. Geosci. Lett. (2021) 8:17 https://doi.org/10.1186/s40562-021-00186-8 RESEARCH LETTER Open Access Underestimated responses of Walker circulation to ENSO-related SST anomaly in atmospheric and coupled models Xin‑Yue Wang1,2, Jiang Zhu1,2, Chueh‑Hsin Chang3, Nathaniel C. Johnson4,5, Hailong Liu1,2, Yadi Li1,2, Chentao Song1,2, Meijiao Xin1,2, Yi Zhou1,2 and Xichen Li1,6* Abstract The Pacifc Walker circulation (WC) is a major component of the global climate system. It connects the Pacifc sea surface temperature (SST) variability to the climate variabilities from the other ocean basins to the mid‑ and high latitudes. Previous studies indicated that the ENSO‑related atmospheric feedback, in particular, the surface wind response is largely underestimated in AMIP and CMIP models. In this study, we further investigate the responses in the WC stream function and the sea level pressure (SLP) to the ENSO‑related SST variability by comparing the responses in 45 AMIP and 63 CMIP models and six reanalysis datasets. We reveal a diversity in the performances of simulated SLP and WC between diferent models. While the SLP responses to the El Niño‑related SST variability are well simulated in most of the atmospheric and coupled models, the WC stream function responses are largely underestimated in most of these models. The WC responses in the AMIP5/6 models capture ~ 75% of those in the reanalysis, whereas the CMIP5/6 models capture ~ 58% of the responses. Further analysis indicates that these underestimated circula‑ tion responses could be partially attributed to the biases in the precipitation scheme in both the atmospheric and coupled models, as well as the biases in the simulated ENSO‑related SST patterns in the coupled models. -
Ocean Surface Circulation
Ocean surface circulation Recall from Last Time The three drivers of atmospheric circulation we discussed: • Differential heating • Pressure gradients • Earth’s rotation (Coriolis) Last two show up as direct forcing of ocean surface circulation, the first indirectly (it drives the winds, also transport of heat is an important consequence). Coriolis In northern hemisphere wind or currents deflect to the right. Equator In the Southern hemisphere they deflect to the left. Major surfaceA schematic currents of them anyway Surface salinity A reasonable indicator of the gyres 31.0 30.0 32.0 31.0 31.030.0 33.0 33.0 28.0 28.029.0 29.0 34.0 35.0 33.0 33.0 33.034.035.0 36.0 34.0 35.0 37.0 35.036.0 36.0 34.0 35.0 35.0 35.0 34.0 35.0 37.0 35.0 36.0 36.0 35.0 35.0 35.0 34.0 34.0 34.0 34.0 34.0 34.0 Ocean Gyres Surface currents are shallow (a few hundred meters thick) Driving factors • Wind friction on surface of the ocean • Coriolis effect • Gravity (Pressure gradient force) • Shape of the ocean basins Surface currents Driven by Wind Gyres are beneath and driven by the wind bands . Most of wind energy in Trade wind or Westerlies Again with the rotating Earth: is a major factor in ocean and Coriolisatmospheric circulation. • It is negligible on small scales. • Varies with latitude. Ekman spiral Consider the ocean as a Wind series of thin layers. Friction Direction of Wind friction pushes on motion the top layers. -
Rainfall Variations in Central Indo-Pacific Over the Past 2,700 Y
Rainfall variations in central Indo-Pacific over the past 2,700 y Liangcheng Tana,b,c,d,1, Chuan-Chou Shene,f,1, Ludvig Löwemarke,f, Sakonvan Chawchaig, R. Lawrence Edwardsh, Yanjun Caia,b,c, Sebastian F. M. Breitenbachi, Hai Chengj,h, Yu-Chen Choue, Helmut Duerrastk, Judson W. Partinl, Wenju Caim,n, Akkaneewut Chabangborng, Yongli Gaoo, Ola Kwiecieni, Chung-Che Wue, Zhengguo Shia,b, Huang-Hsiung Hsup, and Barbara Wohlfarthq,r aState Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 710061 Xi’an, China; bCenter for Excellence in Quaternary Science and Global Change, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 710061 Xi’an, China; cOpen Studio for Oceanic-Continental Climate and Environment Changes, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), 266061 Qingdao, China; dSchool of Earth Science and Resources, Chang‘an University, 710064 Xi’an, China; eDepartment of Geosciences, National Taiwan University, 10617 Taipei, Taiwan; fResearch Center for Future Earth, National Taiwan University, 10617 Taipei, Taiwan; gDepartment of Geology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, 10330 Bangkok, Thailand; hDepartment of Earth Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455; iInstitute for Geology, Mineralogy & Geophysics, Ruhr- Universität Bochum, D-44801 Bochum, Germany; jInstitute of Global Environmental Change, Xi’an Jiaotong University, 710049 Xi’an, China; kDepartment of Physics, Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University, 90112 HatYai, Thailand; lJackson