THE OCEANS AND LOCAL CLIMATE

Susan HowardResearch AssociateEarth & Space Researchwww.esr.org

Rice Heat Pack

VS. Hot Water Bottle

• Heating of Earth comes from Sun

• This heating is UNEVEN

• The uneven heating causes the air and

ocean to MOVE

• Because the earth is rotating, the motion

CURVES

REVIEW!

BASIC ATMOSPHERIC CIRCULATION

BASIC OCEAN CIRCULATION

THE OCEANS AND LOCAL CLIMATE

• Specific Heat

• Heat from Ocean Currents

• Upwelling/Downwelling

• Definition: Specific heat is how much energy is needed raise the temperature of something.

SPECIFIC HEAT

HIGH the specific heat: heats

up and cools down SLOWLY.

LOW the specific heat: heats

up and cools down QUICKLY.

Specific Heat of common things:

SPECIFIC HEAT

Material Specific heat

Liquid Water 4.18

Water vapor 2.11

Dry air 1.01

Basalt 0.84

Granite 0.79

Iron 0.45

Lead 0.13

Which heat’s up the quickest?

Rice Heat Pack

VS. Hot Water Bottle

Has anyone changed their mind?

The oceans are WATER and have a HIGH SPECIFIC HEAT.

They heat up slowly, but cool off slowly as well.

WHY DO WE CARE?

Oceans have an AMAZING ability to store heat!

TAKE A LOOK AT ANOTHER TWO LOCATIONS AT NEARLY THE SAME LATITUDE

Nations Online Project: http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/usa_map.htm

DAILY HIGH AND LOW TEMPERATURE

www.unca.edu/~dmiller/Chapter%2003-Air%20Temperature.ppt

Seattle: High 47 F , Low 37FBismarck: High 23 F , Low 2F

From Weather channel: www.weather.com

Average Jan Temperatures

The ocean tends to stores heat during the summer months, and slowly releases it during the winter.

This is why coastal regions tend to have milder climates than areas that are far inland.

Continental interiors, far from the ocean, experience greater extremes of temperature than coastal regions

Summer Winter

OCEAN SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURES AT NEAH BAY

The lowest recorded temperature in Bismarck was -45°F The lowest recorded in Seattle temperature was 10°F

From Weather channel: www.weather.com

The ocean near Seattle helps to keep the temperature more even.

NO WATER, LARGE EXTREMES

DESERT DAY/NIGHT CYCLE MOVIE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKzWxD0NRNo

THE WINDY COAST – OCEAN BREEZES EXPLAINED!

http://www.nc-climate.ncsu.edu/edu/k12/.breezes

Daily differences in heating & cooling in land vs water leads to on and offshore breezes!

Day: Land heats up

Night:Land cools down

Ocean is Constant

Ocean is Constant

SEA BREEZE MOVIE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ULgGOdoY8Q

THE OCEANS AND LOCAL CLIMATE

• Specific Heat

• Heat from Ocean Currents

• Upwelling/Downwelling

BASIC OCEAN CIRCULATION

Some of the currents are moving warm water – and some

are moving cool water

From http://tornado.sfsu.edu/geosciences/classes/m356/OceanCurrents/Global_currents.jpg

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hu_Ga0JYFNg

CURRENT MOVIE

North Pacific Sea Surface Temperature (SST) Map.

Water temperature bulletin for the North Pacific on 13 April 2011. Credits: Mercator Ocean.

North Atlantic Sea Surface Temperature (SST) Map.

North Atlantic sea surface temperature from satellites for January 2008. Source: NOC/UK Met-Office OSTIA data.

LETS COMPARE TWO PLACE ON THE ATLANTIC OCEAN.

Halifax, Nova Scotia

London, England

LETS COMPARE TWO PLACES NEAR THE OCEAN

Halifax, Nova Scotia• Latitude 44.67o N• Average Jan temp High 29oF Low 13oF

London, England• Latitude 51.5072° N• Average Jan Temp High 5ooF Low 41oF

http://www.holiday-weather.com

LETS COMPARE TWO PLACE NEAR THE OCEAN

NORTH ATLANTIC TEMPERATURE MAP

2oC = 35.6 oF 10oC = 50 oF

North Atlantic sea surface temperature from satellites for January 2008. Source: NOC/UK Met-Office OSTIA data.

THE WEST COAST HAS A DIFFERENT CLIMATE THAN THE EAST, PARTLY DUE TO THE OCEAN CURRENTS.

http://www.ospo.noaa.gov/Products/ocean/sst/contour/

• Gulf stream and Weather movie

EAST COAST WEATHER

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-zO8L66uyg

CURRENT OCEAN TEMPERATURE IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST

13oC = 55.4oF 9.7oC = 49.46oF

THE OCEANS AND LOCAL CLIMATE

• Specific Heat

• Ocean currents

• Upwelling/downwelling

UPWELLING AND DOWNWELLING

Source: http://www.pifsc.noaa.gov/qrb/2010_06/article_05.php

Ocean Basics: Temperature is not constant with depth. The deeper you go, the colder it gets!

THERE ARE MORE NUTRIENTS IN COLD/DEEPER WATER

HIGH Nutrients

LOW Nutrients

UPWELLING

UPWELLING

http://solspot.com/content/surf-articles/adam-wright/ocean-science-101-upwelling-downwelling-and-other-random-acts-of-shrinkage

UPWELLING MOVING

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Al8WrXkLuL4

http://centerforoceansolutions.org/climate/impacts/ocean-circulation/

http://agate.coas.oregonstate.edu/ocs/detailed_upwelling.html

http://agate.coas.oregonstate.edu/ocs/detailed_upwelling.html

UPWELLING AREAS ARE HIGHLY PRODUCTIVE AREAS!

Although coastal upwelling regions account for only one percent of the ocean surface, they contribute roughly 50 percent of the world's fisheries landings.

NOAA: http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/02quest/background/upwelling/upwelling.html

SOMETIMES, WE GET DOWNWELLING TOO

SOURCE: http://www.naylamp.dhn.mil.pe/enlaces/afloramiento_costero.htm

UPWELLING & DOWNWELLING INFLUENCE :

• Temperature• Fishing• Weather patterns

THE OCEANS AND LOCAL CLIMATE• Specific Heat: land and ocean differences coastal climate is milder: warmer in winter/cooler in summer

• Heat from Ocean Currents affects a region’s climate

• Upwelling/Downwelling affects temperature as well fish habitat.