|
|
How do oceans affect climate
Ocean circulation
Wind-driven circulations - what they are and how they affect weather and climate
Ocean Gyres
In the middle of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans are large swirling masses of ocean water. Near the Equator, water is pushed from the east to the west by the trade winds. There is also a component of the gyres that flows from west to east in high latitudes. It is no coincidence that these gyres are almost directly below atmospheric subtropical high pressure systems.
The gyres are driven by the winds. Both the air and the surface waters in these regions flow clockwise in the Northen Hemisphere and counter-clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere. Air is deflected to the right in the Northern Hemisphere by the coriolis force, and so as the air rotates, it is also gathering in the center of the high pressure system. The collected air sinks, resulting in fair weather.
A similar story occurs with the ocean gyres. The rotating water is pushed toward the center of the gyre, and the ocean's surface is actually a little higher than average in the middle. The collected water sinks, which means the nutrient-rich deep water stays well below the surface in the middle of the gyres. In this sense, they are the deserts of the oceans.
Next page -> ocean circulation, continued
Links and resources
Ocean circulation
Wind-driven circulations - what they are and how they affect weather and climate
Ocean Gyres
In the middle of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans are large swirling masses of ocean water. Near the Equator, water is pushed from the east to the west by the trade winds. There is also a component of the gyres that flows from west to east in high latitudes. It is no coincidence that these gyres are almost directly below atmospheric subtropical high pressure systems.
The gyres are driven by the winds. Both the air and the surface waters in these regions flow clockwise in the Northen Hemisphere and counter-clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere. Air is deflected to the right in the Northern Hemisphere by the coriolis force, and so as the air rotates, it is also gathering in the center of the high pressure system. The collected air sinks, resulting in fair weather.
A similar story occurs with the ocean gyres. The rotating water is pushed toward the center of the gyre, and the ocean's surface is actually a little higher than average in the middle. The collected water sinks, which means the nutrient-rich deep water stays well below the surface in the middle of the gyres. In this sense, they are the deserts of the oceans.
Next page -> ocean circulation, continued
Links and resources
