Global Atmospheric Circulation

Question 1

What is global atmospheric circulation caused by?

Answer 1

Different parts of the world heating up differently

Question 2

What is the main source of heat?

Answer 2

The sun- travels to us through space in the form of radiation

Question 3

What is the suns radiation absorbed by?

Answer 3

Clouds, atmospheric gasses and the earths surface

Question 4

Why do some parts of the Earth receive more radiation than others?

Answer 4

Because of the curvature of the Earth

Question 5

What happens at higher latitudes because of the curvature of the Earth?

Answer 5

The radiation from the sun is spread over a much larger surface area

Question 6

What happens to the polar regions in winter because of the tilt of the Earth?

Answer 6

They do not receive any daylight

Question 7

What do we see a lot of in the polar regions?

Answer 7

Snow and ice

Question 8

What does lots of snow and ice do?

Answer 8

Reflect the solar radiation back into space

Question 9

What does global atmospheric circulation act as?

Answer 9

An air conditioning system, redistributing the heat, stopping the equator becoming hotter and the poles becoming colder and these latitudes becoming inhabitable

Question 10

What would happened if the Earth did not rotate and was a simple land mass with no oceans?

Answer 10

We would have a single cell in each hemisphere, where hotter air would rise at the equator and flow towards the poles then sink as it cools and return back to the equator

Question 11

What is the largest cell?

Answer 11

The Hadley cells

Question 12

What happens at the Hadley cells?

Answer 12

.at the equator, the warmer less denser air rises, it rises to a height of about 18km and spread out at the troposphere, creating an area of low pressure, the warm air spreads out towards the poles, gradually cooling and sinking as it moves before descending to the surface and flowing back to the equator

Question 13

What are the smallest cells?

Answer 13

The polar cells

Question 14

What happens at the polar cells?

Answer 14

Cold, dense air descending in the polar regions creates high pressure, as the air leaves the polar regions, it starts to warm and rise, returning to the poles at high levels

Question 15

What cell is between the Hadley and polar cells?

Answer 15

The ferrel cells

Question 16

What is different about the ferrel cells compared to the Hadley and polar cells?

Answer 16

.they are not driven by temperature, they flow in the opposite direction to the Hadley and polar cells

Question 17

What happens at the ferrel cells?

Answer 17

These cells not only transport heat from the equator to the poles, but also result in semi permanent areas of high and low pressure due to rising and descending parts of the circulation cells, giving us our climactic zones

Question 18

What does rising air cause?

Answer 18

Areas of low pressure, so these areas see much more rainfall- largest areas of rainforest found near the equator and why the U.K. has a relatively wet climate

Question 19

What does descending air cause?

Answer 19

An area of high pressure, giving us clear skies and little rainfall, which leads to deserts, 30 degrees north and south of the equator

Question 20

What is the Coriolis effect?

Answer 20

Because the Earth rotates on its axis, circulating air is deflected toward the right in the Northern Hemisphere and toward the left in the Southern Hemisphere

Question 21

What are trade winds?

Answer 21

Winds that blow from 30 degrees north or 30 degrees south back to the equator